What is wrong with me? Should I see a therapist or something?
So here’s my situation:
I’m a senior this year. Top of my class, A student, class president, that schtick. I’m taking Calculus, and it really hadn’t been a big deal. I’m very good at math, and I enjoy learning how and why certain processes are carried out. The class goes at a pretty slow pace for a dual-credit course. I understand everything, finish the homework without very much help at all.
But something really awful happened, and things have just gotten off. I still have no trouble with the work that we’re assigned. I get it done, do it correctly the first time, ect.
We had a quiz last quarter, though, and that’s where my trouble started. I must have had a panic or anxiety attack or something. My pulse became very irregular, I started heaving and sobbing, I couldn’t hear properly, and the worst thing was that my proprioception (sort of your sense of bodily position) kept extending and then retracting like in a nightmare, where you don’t just feel like yourself but also like you’re the room that you’re in.
Needless to say, I failed that quiz miserably. I’ve gotten control of it, I guess. Now, I just CAN’T WORK THE PROBLEMS. I get just a small bit nervous (that happens no matter how comfortable I am with the material) and I forget how to do even the most basic differentiation. These are problem sets that I could usually finish in 10 minutes. I know they’re not hard. That scares me even more. And now, I’m getting more stressed out because this crap is probably going to keep me from being accepted into my desired college. Can something like this be medicated? Should I see a therapist or something?
Oh, and, before anyone says anything, I’m not going to my teacher with this. Even if she would understand, I don’t make excuses.
The quiz last quarter may have been the first time you noticed anything wrong, but I highly doubt it was the cause as you find the material so easy. If there was anything emotionally distressing or stressful in your home/personal life some time before that incident, therein is the likely cause. Provided this is the case, it would probably be a good idea to see a therapist (or a counselor, or a psychologist/psychiatrist).
When I was younger, my parents split up and eventually got divorced, and I took it pretty hard; my grades slipped, as well as my behavior at school, until I went to see a counselor. Eventually I was prescribed medication to suppress my clinical depression and borderline bipolar, and I’ve been doing better… Your results may vary, as you might not have the same diagnosis as me, but I can pretty much guarantee that the experience will have a positive influence on you.
Comments
Comment from Pokemaniac
Time January 4, 2010 at 12:42 pm
The quiz last quarter may have been the first time you noticed anything wrong, but I highly doubt it was the cause as you find the material so easy. If there was anything emotionally distressing or stressful in your home/personal life some time before that incident, therein is the likely cause. Provided this is the case, it would probably be a good idea to see a therapist (or a counselor, or a psychologist/psychiatrist).
When I was younger, my parents split up and eventually got divorced, and I took it pretty hard; my grades slipped, as well as my behavior at school, until I went to see a counselor. Eventually I was prescribed medication to suppress my clinical depression and borderline bipolar, and I’ve been doing better… Your results may vary, as you might not have the same diagnosis as me, but I can pretty much guarantee that the experience will have a positive influence on you.
References :
Personal experience
Comment from shades
Time January 4, 2010 at 12:12 pm
it sounds like you have some anxiety issue going on here. It’s normal to feel some anxiety before a big exam, but if it interferes with your work, it must be dealt with. I don’t think a therapist is in order, I think you just have to find a way to curb your anxiety. For some people, physical exercises help, others engage in self soothing techniques, such as yoga breathing. You have to find what works for you. Also, because this happened to you once, you always think it will happen to you again, so it does! You are in a chain of self fulfilling prophesies! Don’t think you will panic, just because it happened before. Stop yourself before you are in the middle of a full blown panic attack. Good Luck!
References :