Stressed/confused
I will be starting university later this month but everything has become extremely overwhelming i don’t think I’ve chosen the right course, i don’t even know if i want to go anymore. I’ve picked law and the reason i picked it is also stupid as i am following my friends but soon as the timetables came in we weren’t together and i have extreme social anxiety so i thought if we’re together we can help each other but I’m now having doubts as i don’t think i have the mental strength to study such a challenging subject everything is happening super quickly and it feels as though I’m losing control. I literally don’t know what i want from life and the sudden realisation that I’m in charge of my own future has become devastatingly hard to handle. The last couple of days my mental health has dropped significantly i can’t sleep, eat and I’ve been sick frequently everyone is telling me theres hundreds of courses to choose from but there not realising that i physically cannot attend as I’m so nervous about new environments i even changed which college i went to, to be with my friends because i was dying internally. I honestly have lost ambition and have don’t know what to do with myself m.
Really sorry to hear about this. Without going into detailed advice, it's worth saying that lots of people feel anxious when they're starting uni, and lots of people worry that they're on the wrong course and whether they'll be able to cope with it. I doubt very much that you don't have the brain power to do the degree, because you were accepted by the university. Whether it's the right thing for you to do given your mental health is another question.
I think there are some things that you could tell us which would help us to give you advice.
You say you've got "extreme social anxiety". Have you been diagnosed with any mental health condition?
And if so, does the university know about it? If they do, then they should be willing to give you support.
I think there are some things that you could tell us which would help us to give you advice.
You say you've got "extreme social anxiety". Have you been diagnosed with any mental health condition?
And if so, does the university know about it? If they do, then they should be willing to give you support.
It seems like you were ok with your plans up until something didn’t line up with them (which is always inevitable, we cannot predict everything), and it’s thrown you off entirely. I also have anxiety and I know I do this too, but ultimately it’s not that big of a change. Your friends are still at the uni, you can still meet up, and talk, and study together, I’d kill for that. It’s probably a god thing you have different timetables because it means you have to meet other people instead of staying in your safe bubble, which is uncomfortable but something we need to get used to in life. You absolutely can take a gap year to have time to think, but I worry that situation would be worse, because then you wouldn’t know anyone. Your friends will be ahead of you. I think you’re relying on your friends, and now you have to choose between pushing through but at least having your friends nearby to meet and study with, or making the safe choice to leave it and risk not being with any friends at all. I hope you can see the point I’m trying to make; something unexpected happened, it’s thrown you off, and you’ve spiralled down to thinking a situation is far worse than it is. Breathe, think things through, and make a choice.
