I've given up on my degree and don't know what to do

Hi all,
I'm an autistic second year broadcast journalism student and I'm struggling severely on my course and am on the verge of giving up and I don't know what to do.

My autism causes me to have severe anxiety and depression which has only gotten worse the longer I've been in uni. I always feel tired and now barely leave my room to go to societies I loved as well as having at least 1 - 2 breakdowns every week over severe stress of my course.

My parents want me to just push through and get a degree because it's helpful for the future but I don't know if I want to anymore. It feels so debilitating trying to get interviews on camera weekly whilst balancing two other modules and all the reading and practical work I have to do outside with that. I feel like I never have any time anymore.

I don't even know if I'll be able to see my boyfriend anymore because I have so much work which now fills my weekend. But now I spend so much time in bed being upset and stressed about my work and I don't do anything anymore and spend my free time sleeping, binge eating chocolate and playing on my phone. This isn't healthy and I'm struggling to know what to do.

I've been told it's just 12 weeks but if I only produce crap for the module I need interviews for I fail. There always feels like a hint in rhetoric if you can't get interviews what's the point of doing the course.

I've starting hating everything I once liked about it. I radio present in the student radio station, now I have no energy and can't be bothered to do it and it bores me when I do. I wanted badly to be a newsreader and now I don't like doing that either.

I just don't know what to as I'm completely giving up on my course.

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Reply 1

sophier2005

9

Original post by MeowMeowSuperCat

Hi all,
I'm an autistic second year broadcast journalism student and I'm struggling severely on my course and am on the verge of giving up and I don't know what to do.

My autism causes me to have severe anxiety and depression which has only gotten worse the longer I've been in uni. I always feel tired and now barely leave my room to go to societies I loved as well as having at least 1 - 2 breakdowns every week over severe stress of my course.

My parents want me to just push through and get a degree because it's helpful for the future but I don't know if I want to anymore. It feels so debilitating trying to get interviews on camera weekly whilst balancing two other modules and all the reading and practical work I have to do outside with that. I feel like I never have any time anymore.

I don't even know if I'll be able to see my boyfriend anymore because I have so much work which now fills my weekend. But now I spend so much time in bed being upset and stressed about my work and I don't do anything anymore and spend my free time sleeping, binge eating chocolate and playing on my phone. This isn't healthy and I'm struggling to know what to do.

I've been told it's just 12 weeks but if I only produce crap for the module I need interviews for I fail. There always feels like a hint in rhetoric if you can't get interviews what's the point of doing the course.

I've starting hating everything I once liked about it. I radio present in the student radio station, now I have no energy and can't be bothered to do it and it bores me when I do. I wanted badly to be a newsreader and now I don't like doing that either.

I just don't know what to as I'm completely giving up on my course.

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Think about why you first chose to do your course and try to get back that original motivation. You've got half way through your course so try to stick it out as you have invested a lot. Maybe speak to a councillor at the uni.

Reply 2

MeowMeowSuperCat

OP

7

Original post by sophier2005

Think about why you first chose to do your course and try to get back that original motivation. You've got half way through your course so try to stick it out as you have invested a lot. Maybe speak to a councillor at the uni.

I have been but every time j talk to her I forget that to tell her everything that's going on mentally and the fact I'm withdrawing and deliberately skipping sessions just because I don't want to get out of bed to talk to someone. I just don't have the energy anymore

Reply 3

sophier2005

9

Original post by MeowMeowSuperCat

I have been but every time j talk to her I forget that to tell her everything that's going on mentally and the fact I'm withdrawing and deliberately skipping sessions just because I don't want to get out of bed to talk to someone. I just don't have the energy anymore

Next time you speak to her maybe write down what you want to say in advance so you remember.

Original post by MeowMeowSuperCat

Hi all,
I'm an autistic second year broadcast journalism student and I'm struggling severely on my course and am on the verge of giving up and I don't know what to do.

My autism causes me to have severe anxiety and depression which has only gotten worse the longer I've been in uni. I always feel tired and now barely leave my room to go to societies I loved as well as having at least 1 - 2 breakdowns every week over severe stress of my course.

My parents want me to just push through and get a degree because it's helpful for the future but I don't know if I want to anymore. It feels so debilitating trying to get interviews on camera weekly whilst balancing two other modules and all the reading and practical work I have to do outside with that. I feel like I never have any time anymore.

I don't even know if I'll be able to see my boyfriend anymore because I have so much work which now fills my weekend. But now I spend so much time in bed being upset and stressed about my work and I don't do anything anymore and spend my free time sleeping, binge eating chocolate and playing on my phone. This isn't healthy and I'm struggling to know what to do.

I've been told it's just 12 weeks but if I only produce crap for the module I need interviews for I fail. There always feels like a hint in rhetoric if you can't get interviews what's the point of doing the course.

I've starting hating everything I once liked about it. I radio present in the student radio station, now I have no energy and can't be bothered to do it and it bores me when I do. I wanted badly to be a newsreader and now I don't like doing that either.

I just don't know what to as I'm completely giving up on my course.

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Hi @MeowMeowSuperCat,

Really sorry to read that you're struggling at the moment - doing a degree can be really intense and take a big toll on anyone's mental health at times, but its important to prioritise your health over your studies!

I myself went through a period like this, and its such a hard slump to get out of. You have to remember that feeling like this won't last forever, and like others have said, try and find your motivation again. Diet is also so important, so splashing out on a food shop of your comfort foods and lots of veggies is always worthwhile. What helped me the most was uninstalling or time-limiting apps I found myself spending the most time on, getting out for 20m walks whenever I had a splash of energy, buying some B12 and general health multivitamins, and reaching out to the people around me. Even though I didn't tell them how negatively I was feeling, having someone to hold me accountable to plans for socialising or studying made a difference, and I realised that although when I was at home alone I was dreading the plans and having to put a face on, getting there and spending time doing low-energy socialising really helped my confidence, and getting out and studying in different places was really refreshing too. And maybe see if you can spend time with your boyfriend during the week, even studying together if he's a student too!

I think the main thing you need to look at is finding some support. If your therapist right now isn't working for you, try and think about whether that's to do with you or not getting on with the therapist? I would definitely recommend recording your thoughts and feelings when you can to discuss them later. The NHS also offer some resources you may find helpful here. Your societies should also have welfare reps that you can reach out to - there is absolutely no shame in doing so either, that's literally what they're there for! I'm not sure what university you attend, but you should also have a disability advice service that you can speak to - here at Reading ours offer students support in terms of 1-1 meetings, technology, bursaries and deadline extensions/extenuating circumstances and sometimes also aides or mentors to help you balance workloads. Please have a look into this at your school, and consider speaking to your lecturers or department heads about your concerns - they will absolutely want the best for you so I'm sure you can find a solution by working with them. It might be an idea to speak to them about taking a week or so off and heading home for a reset and spend some time with family.

Alternatively, it may be possible for you to retake this year due to your health - although you will graduate a year later, its better to come at things with a different mindset. You might also want to consider something like the Open University for doing a course part-time over a few years instead? Regardless of what you decide, it sounds like you have lots of experience and opportunities you can utilise in the future which is a great position to be in.

Please reach out to your family and friends where you can for support - you don't even necessarily need to explain everything to them, but asking them to remind you to do X or hold you accountable for Y can help push you in the right direction. Taking the first steps to breaking patterns and establishing new healthier patterns is absolutely the hardest step, but you've already started that process just by making this post, so I know you can do it!

Please do reach out if there's anything you need, and make sure to push yourself a little bit by reaching out to your university and setting up a meeting with your tutor or someone you feel comfortable with to figure out your next steps - maybe check your university's website for a start, or reach out to a friend/ welfare rep at a society to help you do so. You got this!

Best Wishes,
Kat :smile:

MA Diplomacy Student

Reply 5

Ccreds

7

Wellbeing first. Other stuff second. Perhaps differ, gap year or ask for a break. Staying in situ without change won’t make a difference and there are always options. Sometimes the best ones come out from taking a break from something.

Reply 6

PhDwithEllaB

4

I definitely would recommend writing out what you want to say. You are so much more than a degree. Take care of yourself first; it is essential for academic success!

I've given up on my degree and don't know what to do

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