The Student Room Group

anxiety and panick attacks relating to university (i really need some advice rn 😭)

Hi,

I should start off my saying that I am going to be starting uni this september (2024) as a first year for nursing!

A few months ago, before results day, the thought of not getting into my dream uni and to do nursing gave me a lot of anxiety, when i found out on results day that i got accepted, i was honestly overjoyed, however, this is now the case anymore.

Three days after results day, I started having severe mental breakdown because the thought of actually going to university all by myself, without my friends, scared me a lot. During these mental breakdowns, i would also get anxiety about starting about the course that i am going to be doing, thinking that i wouldn’t be good enough to be a nurse and i would not succeed since i will probably not be able to keep up with all the assignments, exams and placemats at uni. These mental breakdowns and anxiety attacks started to happen every day, where i would be bawling my eyes out about the same exact worries and i started considering dropping out of uni before the course had even started. Even after i would calm my self down, with the help from my best friend, the same anxiety would come back to me the next day or later throughout the day, and i would end up questions my career choice and whether i made the right decision by choosing to go to uni to do nursing.

My best friends has told me that this is just me having imposter syndrome and i should not drop out of uni until i fully try it out for severe months, so i listened to her advice.

I have been to uni for one week so far, but the course hasn’t properly started yet since this week was mainly just inductions, but i have a couple lectures next week and my course will fully start in the first week of october. I have also made a couple of new friends who are in my course and I get along with them well!

HOWEVER, even after the first induction week at uni, i still ended up getting anxiety attacks when i came home about the most random reasons, this would either be me second guessing my course choice, dreading the feeling of having to wake up at 5-6am to travel to uni (i’m a commuter who lives an hour away from my uni), not being able to spend enough time with my friends and family since i know that during your nursing degree, you lose A LOT of your social life and mental stability, and just not being able to keep up and survive these 3 years in general.

This induction week did help me feel slightly more excited about the course and uni, but out of nowhere, the excitement is suddenly washed away by the anxiety that i get out of nowhere and i end up crying and breaking down again.

After these breakdowns, my best friend helps me come back to my senses and she gives me motivation to keep doing the nursing degree as it is honestly one of the most rewarding careers and she also reminded me of how much i love to help people (a big reason as to why i picked nursing, i was so excited and happy when i kept researching more and more about the degree and the career in general when i was doing my ucas this year at 18.)

However, the anxiety is so much to handle and i really don’t know what to do because i end up breaking down about the littlest thing related to uni and my course, to the point where for this whole week, i woke up every morning with severe anxiety and heart palpitations about a random negative thought surrounding my course and uni in general.

The anxiety that comes in the middle of the day is bad, but when it stops and i calm myself down by saying that i should at least try for a few months before realising that i can’t handle it (who knows i might even fall back in love with the course and uni once everything starts properly!), BUT i physically cannot handle the morning anxiety that i get AS SOON as i wake up. My chest feels tight, and it feels like my heart is beating super fast, i’ve had actually experienced morning anxiety every day for an entire year when i was 15 (year 10) but it stopped naturally after a while.

It’s only been slightly over a month now, but i would say that this is honestly the worst period of anxiety i’ve ever experienced in my whole life, (way more than during my A-level exams haha), i physically cannot handle morning anxiety and tight chest feeling wth the rapid heart beat, it feels like i’m being consumed. The morning anxiety does fade away after a couple hours, but i still hate the feeling of it and i would hate to wake up every morning before going to uni, knowing my morning anxiety hasn’t died down.

I don’t know what i should do at this point, i don’t want to drop out as i put in so much effort to get accepted into my dream uni, for my dream career, but if that does happen, i have no backup options and there’s nothing else i can imagine myself doing, i wouldn’t go for a different degree either since part of my anxiety is revolved around uni life in general.

I don’t know whether i should ask for professional help and see whether i get diagnosed with anxiety or any other problem, and see if medications will help, however, the thought of the side effects of the medications makes me even more scared and anxious.

i should also say that i come from a south asian background, and my parents don’t really understand or believe in mental health, so talking to them wouldn’t really fix anything since i feel like nothing is going to be fixed.

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for reading and please feel free to suggest anything i could do, even tips that help deal with anxiety, especially morning anxiety, will be sufficient :smile:

Have an amazing day, and once again, thank you for reading!
The first thing I would suggest to you to do is to get in contact with your unis student support services. They can provide services like mentoring or therapy to make your life a bit easier. For morning anxiety I would suggest making a routine- but dont engineer it in a way which makes you more rushed. Incorporate things like listening to music, having something nice for breakfast just little things that will make mornings happier for you 🙂
I hope you start feeling more confident soon!
Reply 2
Original post by DerDracologe
The first thing I would suggest to you to do is to get in contact with your unis student support services. They can provide services like mentoring or therapy to make your life a bit easier. For morning anxiety I would suggest making a routine- but dont engineer it in a way which makes you more rushed. Incorporate things like listening to music, having something nice for breakfast just little things that will make mornings happier for you 🙂
I hope you start feeling more confident soon!


thank u so much!!! i will definitely try :smile:
I just spent an hour writing a huge reply and the page glitched and deleted it all 💔 devasted, please feel free to message me, I've struggled with anxiety disorders for a long time and have spent a long time understanding everything, coping strategies and effective mental reframing:smile:
Reply 4
Original post by TunnelEyes
I just spent an hour writing a huge reply and the page glitched and deleted it all 💔 devasted, please feel free to message me, I've struggled with anxiety disorders for a long time and have spent a long time understanding everything, coping strategies and effective mental reframing:smile:


oh nooo it sucks that the page glitched 😭 but tysm for taking the time to reply to me, i honestly appreciate it so much!!! i will definitely dm you if that’s still okay and i’m so glad that you have found ways to cope with your anxiety :smile:
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,
I should start off my saying that I am going to be starting uni this september (2024) as a first year for nursing!
A few months ago, before results day, the thought of not getting into my dream uni and to do nursing gave me a lot of anxiety, when i found out on results day that i got accepted, i was honestly overjoyed, however, this is now the case anymore.
Three days after results day, I started having severe mental breakdown because the thought of actually going to university all by myself, without my friends, scared me a lot. During these mental breakdowns, i would also get anxiety about starting about the course that i am going to be doing, thinking that i wouldn’t be good enough to be a nurse and i would not succeed since i will probably not be able to keep up with all the assignments, exams and placemats at uni. These mental breakdowns and anxiety attacks started to happen every day, where i would be bawling my eyes out about the same exact worries and i started considering dropping out of uni before the course had even started. Even after i would calm my self down, with the help from my best friend, the same anxiety would come back to me the next day or later throughout the day, and i would end up questions my career choice and whether i made the right decision by choosing to go to uni to do nursing.
My best friends has told me that this is just me having imposter syndrome and i should not drop out of uni until i fully try it out for severe months, so i listened to her advice.
I have been to uni for one week so far, but the course hasn’t properly started yet since this week was mainly just inductions, but i have a couple lectures next week and my course will fully start in the first week of october. I have also made a couple of new friends who are in my course and I get along with them well!
HOWEVER, even after the first induction week at uni, i still ended up getting anxiety attacks when i came home about the most random reasons, this would either be me second guessing my course choice, dreading the feeling of having to wake up at 5-6am to travel to uni (i’m a commuter who lives an hour away from my uni), not being able to spend enough time with my friends and family since i know that during your nursing degree, you lose A LOT of your social life and mental stability, and just not being able to keep up and survive these 3 years in general.
This induction week did help me feel slightly more excited about the course and uni, but out of nowhere, the excitement is suddenly washed away by the anxiety that i get out of nowhere and i end up crying and breaking down again.
After these breakdowns, my best friend helps me come back to my senses and she gives me motivation to keep doing the nursing degree as it is honestly one of the most rewarding careers and she also reminded me of how much i love to help people (a big reason as to why i picked nursing, i was so excited and happy when i kept researching more and more about the degree and the career in general when i was doing my ucas this year at 18.)
However, the anxiety is so much to handle and i really don’t know what to do because i end up breaking down about the littlest thing related to uni and my course, to the point where for this whole week, i woke up every morning with severe anxiety and heart palpitations about a random negative thought surrounding my course and uni in general.
The anxiety that comes in the middle of the day is bad, but when it stops and i calm myself down by saying that i should at least try for a few months before realising that i can’t handle it (who knows i might even fall back in love with the course and uni once everything starts properly!), BUT i physically cannot handle the morning anxiety that i get AS SOON as i wake up. My chest feels tight, and it feels like my heart is beating super fast, i’ve had actually experienced morning anxiety every day for an entire year when i was 15 (year 10) but it stopped naturally after a while.
It’s only been slightly over a month now, but i would say that this is honestly the worst period of anxiety i’ve ever experienced in my whole life, (way more than during my A-level exams haha), i physically cannot handle morning anxiety and tight chest feeling wth the rapid heart beat, it feels like i’m being consumed. The morning anxiety does fade away after a couple hours, but i still hate the feeling of it and i would hate to wake up every morning before going to uni, knowing my morning anxiety hasn’t died down.
I don’t know what i should do at this point, i don’t want to drop out as i put in so much effort to get accepted into my dream uni, for my dream career, but if that does happen, i have no backup options and there’s nothing else i can imagine myself doing, i wouldn’t go for a different degree either since part of my anxiety is revolved around uni life in general.
I don’t know whether i should ask for professional help and see whether i get diagnosed with anxiety or any other problem, and see if medications will help, however, the thought of the side effects of the medications makes me even more scared and anxious.
i should also say that i come from a south asian background, and my parents don’t really understand or believe in mental health, so talking to them wouldn’t really fix anything since i feel like nothing is going to be fixed.
If you have made it this far, thank you so much for reading and please feel free to suggest anything i could do, even tips that help deal with anxiety, especially morning anxiety, will be sufficient :smile:
Have an amazing day, and once again, thank you for reading!

Hi there, anxiety can be incredibly overwhelming and you’re doing really well to try and cope in a difficult situation and reach out for support. We know that anxiety can sometimes lead to suicidal thoughts. Please know if at any point you experience suicidal thoughts, you can reach out to us on HOPELINE247 by calling 0800 068 4141, texting 88247, emailing [email protected] and using out webchat service on our website https://www.papyrus-uk.org/
Hi there 🙂

I completely understand the situation you're in. I moved 130 miles from home, and still had to commute 45 minutes to an hour to get to university. I didn't know anyone, and also felt anxious.

Definitely speak to your mental health and well-being team at your university, I did that and it helped me so much!

Maybe take a look at societies at your university, they can help you integrate more into university life, and ease anxiety 🙂

Nat
Third-year student nurse mentor and ambassador
Original post by TunnelEyes
I just spent an hour writing a huge reply and the page glitched and deleted it all 💔 devasted, please feel free to message me, I've struggled with anxiety disorders for a long time and have spent a long time understanding everything, coping strategies and effective mental reframing:smile:

Hi, could I also send you a message?
Original post by cubicgraph
Hi, could I also send you a message?


Yes pls do
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,
I should start off my saying that I am going to be starting uni this september (2024) as a first year for nursing!
A few months ago, before results day, the thought of not getting into my dream uni and to do nursing gave me a lot of anxiety, when i found out on results day that i got accepted, i was honestly overjoyed, however, this is now the case anymore.
Three days after results day, I started having severe mental breakdown because the thought of actually going to university all by myself, without my friends, scared me a lot. During these mental breakdowns, i would also get anxiety about starting about the course that i am going to be doing, thinking that i wouldn’t be good enough to be a nurse and i would not succeed since i will probably not be able to keep up with all the assignments, exams and placemats at uni. These mental breakdowns and anxiety attacks started to happen every day, where i would be bawling my eyes out about the same exact worries and i started considering dropping out of uni before the course had even started. Even after i would calm my self down, with the help from my best friend, the same anxiety would come back to me the next day or later throughout the day, and i would end up questions my career choice and whether i made the right decision by choosing to go to uni to do nursing.
My best friends has told me that this is just me having imposter syndrome and i should not drop out of uni until i fully try it out for severe months, so i listened to her advice.
I have been to uni for one week so far, but the course hasn’t properly started yet since this week was mainly just inductions, but i have a couple lectures next week and my course will fully start in the first week of october. I have also made a couple of new friends who are in my course and I get along with them well!
HOWEVER, even after the first induction week at uni, i still ended up getting anxiety attacks when i came home about the most random reasons, this would either be me second guessing my course choice, dreading the feeling of having to wake up at 5-6am to travel to uni (i’m a commuter who lives an hour away from my uni), not being able to spend enough time with my friends and family since i know that during your nursing degree, you lose A LOT of your social life and mental stability, and just not being able to keep up and survive these 3 years in general.
This induction week did help me feel slightly more excited about the course and uni, but out of nowhere, the excitement is suddenly washed away by the anxiety that i get out of nowhere and i end up crying and breaking down again.
After these breakdowns, my best friend helps me come back to my senses and she gives me motivation to keep doing the nursing degree as it is honestly one of the most rewarding careers and she also reminded me of how much i love to help people (a big reason as to why i picked nursing, i was so excited and happy when i kept researching more and more about the degree and the career in general when i was doing my ucas this year at 18.)
However, the anxiety is so much to handle and i really don’t know what to do because i end up breaking down about the littlest thing related to uni and my course, to the point where for this whole week, i woke up every morning with severe anxiety and heart palpitations about a random negative thought surrounding my course and uni in general.
The anxiety that comes in the middle of the day is bad, but when it stops and i calm myself down by saying that i should at least try for a few months before realising that i can’t handle it (who knows i might even fall back in love with the course and uni once everything starts properly!), BUT i physically cannot handle the morning anxiety that i get AS SOON as i wake up. My chest feels tight, and it feels like my heart is beating super fast, i’ve had actually experienced morning anxiety every day for an entire year when i was 15 (year 10) but it stopped naturally after a while.
It’s only been slightly over a month now, but i would say that this is honestly the worst period of anxiety i’ve ever experienced in my whole life, (way more than during my A-level exams haha), i physically cannot handle morning anxiety and tight chest feeling wth the rapid heart beat, it feels like i’m being consumed. The morning anxiety does fade away after a couple hours, but i still hate the feeling of it and i would hate to wake up every morning before going to uni, knowing my morning anxiety hasn’t died down.
I don’t know what i should do at this point, i don’t want to drop out as i put in so much effort to get accepted into my dream uni, for my dream career, but if that does happen, i have no backup options and there’s nothing else i can imagine myself doing, i wouldn’t go for a different degree either since part of my anxiety is revolved around uni life in general.
I don’t know whether i should ask for professional help and see whether i get diagnosed with anxiety or any other problem, and see if medications will help, however, the thought of the side effects of the medications makes me even more scared and anxious.
i should also say that i come from a south asian background, and my parents don’t really understand or believe in mental health, so talking to them wouldn’t really fix anything since i feel like nothing is going to be fixed.
If you have made it this far, thank you so much for reading and please feel free to suggest anything i could do, even tips that help deal with anxiety, especially morning anxiety, will be sufficient :smile:
Have an amazing day, and once again, thank you for reading!

You have some fantastic advice on here already as some posters mentioned getting in touch with the student support services.

There is a lot of support out there such as:

-The Samaritans, you can call 116 123, which is available 24 hours a day

-Mind, 0300 123 3393

-Saneline, 0300 304 7000, from 4.30pm-10.30pm

-The mix, 0800 808 4994, 11am-11pm

-SHOUT, text 852258, 24 hour text service

-Crises, 741741, text service

-Papyrus, 0800 068 4141, if you have thoughts of suicide or in emotional distress

-Rethink mental health, 0300 5000 927

-No Panic, 0800 138 8889

-Relate, they have a chat advisor

-NHS mental health, 111

-Mental Health 24/7: 0800 008 6516

-hubofhope website, useful contact information for your local area

You can self refer yourself to talking therapies on the NHS website.

There is the mind forum

Also Facebook groups

You can join support groups

You can contact a crises team if things get very bad Plenty of resources online, infor mation regarding well being.

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