Anxiety and/or depression discussion.

greenfrogs

bleach94 wrote: »

the more I think about this, the more I am convinced my counsellor was wrong and that I have more than just 'mild social anxiety'.. Trouble is, I have exams next week and I'm feeling really quite terrible. I'm dreading tomorrow, going to have to hit the study for three subjects I don't fully understand, enjoy or wholly care about. I guess ploughing through the pain is the only option

You poor thing. I don't want to sound rude but from experience I would take the diagnostic opinion of a counsellor with a pinch of salt. It was my GP who set me on the right track. Don't plough through the pain, get yourself to a doctor. Your focus should now be on your mental health. Hopefully you can defer your exams until you feel better

Call Me Jimmy

fr336 wrote: »

Can't tell you how much help breathing properly is for my (maybe quite minor, but still quite awful in my personal context) anxiety. Being overweight probably doesn't help but when I do some exercise that gets me out of breath and keep going at it, inhaling the air properly is just amazing.

I know exactly what you mean! It feels like you are drinking the air like it's the life-giving thing that it is. Is it just from getting out of breath through exercise or do you have specific exercises as well?

Glad to hear you've gotten some exercise, respect

fr336

greenfrogs wrote: »

You poor thing. I don't want to sound rude but from experience I would take the diagnostic opinion of a counsellor with a pinch of salt. It was my GP who set me on the right track. Don't plough through the pain, get yourself to a doctor. Your focus should now be on your mental health. Hopefully you can defer your exams until you feel better

Amen.

fr336

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

I know exactly what you mean! It feels like you are drinking the air like it's the life-giving thing that it is. Is it just from getting out of breath through exercise or do you have specific exercises as well?

Glad to hear you've gotten some exercise, respect

Nothing specific, mainly climbing my stairs at the moment :cool:

bleach94

I have exams tomorrow, Tuesday and Friday though, and all I have to show for is two sessions at my college counsellor. I haven't spoken to my GP about it. Surely it is too late for this term, as I have no paperwork or proof?

fr336

bleach94 wrote: »

I have exams tomorrow, Tuesday and Friday though, and all I have to show for is two sessions at my college counsellor. I haven't spoken to my GP about it. Surely it is too late for this term, as I have no paperwork or proof?

Well all you can do is try? Doing nothing will ensure nothing happens.

Call Me Jimmy

I went in the day before an exam to the doctor at my university, using my long term difficulties as an excuse (not sayin you are) and he basically said, just do the exam and get it over with. I didn't do great in it but it was done.

But technically you can (with written proof from doctor) get out of it pretty much up until the day, for example, say someone got food poisoning the evening before and couldn't physically sit it. So long as there is proof at the time of illness, the college couldn't do anything but accept it I think.

fr336

Agreed Jimmy, health and piece of mind is more important than pride / convenience.

Hugo Stiglitz

bleach94 wrote: »

I have exams tomorrow, Tuesday and Friday though, and all I have to show for is two sessions at my college counsellor. I haven't spoken to my GP about it. Surely it is too late for this term, as I have no paperwork or proof?

Best of luck with the exams by the way Bleach

bleach94

Thanks Hugo! I am (hopefully) seeing my GP in the morning so hopefully I can relay how I've been feeling. I feel a lot of it stems from not really enjoying my course and from living at home/being generally stuck in a rut.

fr336

bleach94 wrote: »

Thanks Hugo! I am (hopefully) seeing my GP in the morning so hopefully I can relay how I've been feeling. I feel a lot of it stems from not really enjoying my course and from living at home/being generally stuck in a rut,

If the '94' in your username is an indication of your age, you have your whole life ahead of you...no rut. Start afresh for 2015 somehow (But don't leave course unless sure and you have other things lined up)

bleach94

fr336 wrote: »

If the '94' in your username is an indication of your age, you have your whole life ahead of you...no rut. Start afresh for 2015 somehow (But don't leave course unless sure and you have other things lined up)

I hear ya.. Got no good alternative right now but I'm keeping it as an option, I'm almost certain it is a source of my unhappiness, but it's a big call

fr336

bleach94 wrote: »

I hear ya.. Got no good alternative right now but I'm keeping it as an option, I'm almost certain it is a source of my unhappiness, but it's a big call

Well, we're here for you if needs be bud

Hugo Stiglitz

bleach94 wrote: »

Thanks Hugo! I am (hopefully) seeing my GP in the morning so hopefully I can relay how I've been feeling. I feel a lot of it stems from not really enjoying my course and from living at home/being generally stuck in a rut.

I totally get ya Bleach, am in a little bit of a rut myself and I'm sure a few others here would say the very same.

cloudatlas

I just watched Niall Breslin's video about panic attacks and depression on independent.ie very good advocate for mental health.

bleach94

Hugo Stiglitz wrote: »

I totally get ya Bleach, am in a little bit of a rut myself and I'm sure a few others here would say the very same.

It's a strange thing isn't it? It's frustrating when you realise how you've become sort of set into a pattern of living that you're not really happy with and yet changing it seems, at least now, like the most difficult thing in the world

bleach94

fr336 wrote: »

Well, we're here for you if needs be bud

Thanks so much, that's really comforting to hear!:)

fr336

bleach94 wrote: »

It's a strange thing isn't it? It's frustrating when you realise how you've become sort of set into a pattern of living that you're not really happy with and yet changing it seems, at least now, like the most difficult thing in the world

It's such a cliche but taking small, manageable steps forward can work wonders. As long as they're kept up to a certain extent (don't beat yourself up if you take a step or two back temporarily), strides can build up over time to become surprising changes.

Gremlinertia

For me the rut exists because of my fear of change - even if change could make things better.. What strange creatures we can be....

fr336

Gremlinertia wrote: »

For me the rut exists because of my fear of change - even if change could make things better.. What strange creatures we can be....

Small strides while maintaining a general sense of comfort elsewhere...you may be surprised how the progress can build up over time.

Call Me Jimmy

I'm seeing it now as a set of automatic responses that I have to break through. Imaginary baseballs are being hurled at me and I'm ducking every time.

fr336

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

I'm seeing it now as a set of automatic responses that I have to break through. Imaginary baseballs are being hurled at me and I'm ducking every time.

Bringing things to the here and now and the present moment has worked well for me before - not thinking too much inside my head but grabbing things by the balls right now. Rome wasn't built in a day, but doing something, anything, now...the start can be the hardest mostly.

Hugo Stiglitz

bleach94 wrote: »

It's a strange thing isn't it? It's frustrating when you realise how you've become sort of set into a pattern of living that you're not really happy with and yet changing it seems, at least now, like the most difficult thing in the world

Yeah that's me pretty much. F all motivation to actuate those required changes though.

0byme75341jo28

I find apathy one of the most difficult things to deal with. I genuinely don't care about anything, even when I try to. I don't even care about getting treated tbh. Everything seems pointless.

bleach94

Just a quick update.. Went to my GP, I was told to explore different options with regards to my course choice and living away from home possibilities, also got a letter stating I'm under medical supervision for my course coordinator. Exam went ok, just a few more to get through now. I'll take it from there I suppose!

Gremlinertia

Well done Bleach, for some it can be very difficult to speak to a doctor.. It's a messy time of year for emotions AND appointments with officialdom. Keep at it though.. People here rooting for you.

Hugo Stiglitz

bleach94 wrote: »

Just a quick update.. Went to my GP, I was told to explore different options with regards to my course choice and living away from home possibilities, also got a letter stating I'm under medical supervision for my course coordinator. Exam went ok, just a few more to get through now. I'll take it from there I suppose!

I'm glad to hear that Bleach

CZ 453

bleach94 wrote: »

Just a quick update.. Went to my GP, I was told to explore different options with regards to my course choice and living away from home possibilities, also got a letter stating I'm under medical supervision for my course coordinator. Exam went ok, just a few more to get through now. I'll take it from there I suppose!

Actually sitting the exam was huge. Well done.

Gremlinertia

Just got around to opening my post.. I'm back in the day hospital type system after nearly a year of battle and miscommunication, I'm not as relieved as I should be..

glorified g

bleach94 wrote: »

Just a quick update.. Went to my GP, I was told to explore different options with regards to my course choice and living away from home possibilities, also got a letter stating I'm under medical supervision for my course coordinator. Exam went ok, just a few more to get through now. I'll take it from there I suppose!

Howdy Bleach. Was in a similar situation to yourself a few years ago. If you end up looking to change courses the fact that you have the letter from your Doctor is a huge help. I left my course and started a new one in a different college the next year. As I had the medical cert from my Doctor I didn't have to pay the fees that usually come with starting a new course after dropping out of a previous one which was a massive relief.

Best of luck with the rest of the exams.