school & social anxiety
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xabbashiax
Active member
no but at secondary school I was very tempted to I had no friends and people were unfriendly. I tried to change schools but it didn't happen.It's not that I didn't want to learn but I hated the school so much. I told my parents I weren't going to school but I was made to.In the end I went to college after my Gcse's.I was so scared of going to school. and was super self concious I was too scared to even cry but i think it was best because If i had dropped out I would have been in a worse position. and when I moved to college I found that people can actually be more friendly. I think you just have to really try and stick it out. 
dottie
Well-known member
i dropped out of college but i went back. it was too easy for me to ditch class because of anxiety. i would drive to school and sit in my car imagining the other students. my heart would race considering going in, then i'd just succumb to defeat, and ditch class. but you can't ditch if you want to pass.
i just had to decide to read the syllabus, follow it to a t, do every bit of homework, and put in every ounce of effort i could into succeeding- no matter what. rain or shine. now college is something i do for ME and that is what keeps me motivated. it is a gift to myself with a big reward at the end.
when i go to class now instead of focusing on the other students i try to focus on the material being taught (um, the whole point hehe). stay focused.
ps: if i can, i sit pretty close to a door or around a path where i can easily escape if i suddenly feel a panic attack and have to run out of the room for some reason. it is extremely important for me to know i can escape or leave at will.
i just had to decide to read the syllabus, follow it to a t, do every bit of homework, and put in every ounce of effort i could into succeeding- no matter what. rain or shine. now college is something i do for ME and that is what keeps me motivated. it is a gift to myself with a big reward at the end.
when i go to class now instead of focusing on the other students i try to focus on the material being taught (um, the whole point hehe). stay focused.
ps: if i can, i sit pretty close to a door or around a path where i can easily escape if i suddenly feel a panic attack and have to run out of the room for some reason. it is extremely important for me to know i can escape or leave at will.
autumn_82
Well-known member
I never dropped out of school, but I may have if I'd been forced to go to my local high school which was too rough in certain ways for me to handle. My mom spent my jr. high through high school years helping me scramble to find alternatives, which we luckily did (using up my college savings in the process). During that time I went to 4 different schools, including home school and online school (Laurel Springs in Ojai, CA). Online school can be a godsend for some people, esp. those of us w/ SA!
College will have taken me 9 years as of 2009 (I'll be done finally!). It's been absolutely agonizing at times, and I still approach each new semester with dread, wondering how much of the grade will be based on class presentations and participation. School can be trying, to say the least.
College will have taken me 9 years as of 2009 (I'll be done finally!). It's been absolutely agonizing at times, and I still approach each new semester with dread, wondering how much of the grade will be based on class presentations and participation. School can be trying, to say the least.
Argamemnon
Well-known member
Yes, I dropped out of college.
Graeme1988
Hie yer hence from me heath!
toto said:
Yes, I dropped out of high school 3 years ago at age 17, even though I wanted to drop out at age 16, with nothing to show for it. Anyway, one reason why I dropped out, was the pressure from both teachers and my parents, which just made my anxiety worse. But the main reason - which I can still remember to this day - was being told by a teacher, with my mum sitting right beside me, my mum was called in because my grades were slipping. This teacher said this to me:" You lack confidence and your view on life is wrong".
And another teacher told me: "There's absolutely no point of you being here" - the teacher who said that to me was actually surprised that I'd decided to leave. So as a result, I haven't furthered my education - I feel I'm a total failure, in that regard - and have done pretty much nothing for the last 3 years of my life. But, you know, none of the teachers really encouraged me to stay on, well, few did. But the rest basically gave up on me.
Walk
Well-known member
I dropped out, at age 15.
I had panic attacks, especially during lunch. Couldn't take the heat.
But, in retrospect, I did indeed have opportunities to make friends and to seek help.
My failure in seeking help was my biggest mistake because there WERE people who were ready to help. Almost every school has a certain program to help out those with personal problems, everything from a bad home to anxiety.
But I was too nervous even to seek help. It's one of my regrets. I also had chances to make friends, but at the time I unknowingly pushed them away from me, which is really weird now that I think of it.
Bottom line, there is help out there, just go to your counselor or talk to any trusted teacher, etc at your school.
And for a bit of good news for all who did drop out, you can still go to school and get your GED, and afterward go to community college which in turn can get you in most universities. No need to feel like a loser, just SEEK and you will likely find what you need.
I had panic attacks, especially during lunch. Couldn't take the heat.
But, in retrospect, I did indeed have opportunities to make friends and to seek help.
My failure in seeking help was my biggest mistake because there WERE people who were ready to help. Almost every school has a certain program to help out those with personal problems, everything from a bad home to anxiety.
But I was too nervous even to seek help. It's one of my regrets. I also had chances to make friends, but at the time I unknowingly pushed them away from me, which is really weird now that I think of it.
Bottom line, there is help out there, just go to your counselor or talk to any trusted teacher, etc at your school.
And for a bit of good news for all who did drop out, you can still go to school and get your GED, and afterward go to community college which in turn can get you in most universities. No need to feel like a loser, just SEEK and you will likely find what you need.
NightTimeForever
Well-known member
Yeah I did drop out because of it, and I regret that decision.
autumn_82
Well-known member
Try online school. They're legit (well, some of them are). Laurel Springs School in Ojai, CA is accredited, runs from K-12, and has students from around the world. I did my last two years of high school there.
Lots of kids who act or do professional sports go there, in addition to kids who didn't do well at their local schools. You think your parents would go for it?
Lots of kids who act or do professional sports go there, in addition to kids who didn't do well at their local schools. You think your parents would go for it?