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Anxiety about sixth form

Dear TSR,
Today I had the interviews for two sixth forms with which I am both undecided about. I've got concerns about both of the schools as to how successful I'll be in both of these schools as the environment is so different.

I'm starting to feel inadequate of going to either sixth forms, I feel so stupid as though I need to put in hours more work in order to get the right grades and my current GCSE teachers are worried that I'm making myself sick because of how much anxiety I get over how well I need to perform. I suffer from social anxiety and some form of eating disorder (not diagnosed) and therefore I feel quite vulnerable in whether I could break at any moment.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice or personal experience similar to mine and had any advice as to how to change my thoughts or to make school work easier.

Thank you so much for your time :smile:
Catherine x
Reply 1
Avatar for Katarvi
Katarvi
15
Do you see a counsellor/therapist or are you taking any medication at the moment for your anxiety? It sounds like you need an outlet, someone to talk to about the way you're feeling to try to quell all the anxiety building up inside of you. Is there a school counsellor you can see? It sounds like the anxiety is the root cause here, not any inability to perform well or achieve good grades. Sort that out as best you can and the rest should fall into place. In the end though, school work will always require hard work and when it comes to schools deciding your future there will always be a degree of anxiety and worry. It's totally normal.

Not sure if this will help but I suffer from anxiety and sometimes taking a capsule or two of valerian root (herbal pill found in most pharmacies) can really calm me down. I wouldn't suggest it as a long-term coping mechanism though.
I was seeing a guy at CAMHS but his contract was stopped and so I'm waiting for a new counselor. I've never been very good at telling people how I feel, but I'm asking for people's opinions of both of the sixth forms and then seeing which would suit me best.

Thank you for your advice :smile:
Reply 3
Avatar for Katarvi
Katarvi
15
Original post by Cath_erine
I was seeing a guy at CAMHS but his contract was stopped and so I'm waiting for a new counselor. I've never been very good at telling people how I feel, but I'm asking for people's opinions of both of the sixth forms and then seeing which would suit me best.

Thank you for your advice :smile:

That's good, it's important to talk about how you're feeling with someone. I'm sure you will do fine at either sixth form you end up at. Just do your best and chill out! You've plenty of time in the future to worry about results and interviews and shizz when you're applying for uni (if you decide to). Remember to enjoy being 15 every now and then, if you're worried and anxious 24/7 it will only make you feel worse! Good luck!
Reply 4
Avatar for Venatal
Venatal
3
My advice would be to tell someone close to you about it, just talking about everyday experiences can help a lot.
Try to identify what makes you feel most anxious and instead of avoiding slowly try to engage in whatever it is, that's the method I'm using at the moment and its starting to help.
But what you should gain most from this message is telling a close friend.
Sixth form is not really that stressful depending on what subjects your going to do. Most of the time the key is just to stay one step ahead or on the same level as the lessons, because if you fall behind then you will have to worry about doing all that work to catchup and I don't think that will benefit someone with anxiety. When I mean keep up I mean go over your notes at the end of the day to consolidate your learning much less revision required. Just stay calm about term tests and class tests as they do not mean much at all. I think you will do fine.
Reply 6
Avatar for Bria331
Bria331
6
Quite honestly I've never experienced what you're going through but you have my full sympathy. However I did work flat out for my GCSEs and honestly I biggest regret was not having as much fun as some of my friends.

Find a method to calm yourself (easier said than done) and make sure to have time off.

A friend of mine (who got 10A* and an A) was incredibly prone to stressing and working to the point of illness his solution was to make an incredibly strict timetable which limited how much revision to the right amount and gave him time to take a break and have fun because it is pre decided he stopped stressing and over working. Could this work for you?

Honestly it is horrible to feel inadequate. For my college interview the first question was where I had come from.... I was so nervous I forgot where I lived 😂 I mean if they let me in I'd say it isn't to hard to get in to sixth form so go relax.

Hope your situation improves :smile:

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