Hey, because it's pretty actual I decided to ask around a little bit. Normally, I'm not an anxious person at all. I know several family members who suffer from anxiety, but I've never been one of them and went to school, no matter what (even if I felt sick or knew I'd have to deal with bullying etc.). But since around a year, things are getting worse. Even if my mental health is more stable than ever before I experience suicidal thoughts*, but also physical effects such as headache, stomach pain or am unable to move. This mostly happens during tests etc. normally I'd say this are symptoms of some major problem, but I also know I tend to overact when it somes to my mental health. So I wanted to ask if this is just some kind of "normal" for students who are about to finish school. Maybe it's something you just can't avoid or something. I don't see myself as suicidal or selfdestructing at all, so I'm not in 'danger' and may just have to pull myself together? *which rarely happened in the years before when I got lots more problems
In my opinion, it's normal to get nervous before tests, but it turns into anxiety or panic disorder when it severely impacts your grip on life. For example, I personally feel like I can't breathe, my heart is beating faster, dizzy, and like I might throw up. The breathing, increased heart rate, dizziness, and actually throwing up go beyond the normal symptoms of being nervous, and impact my ability to be able to perform a task. However, if I were you, I would ask a professional if you do have anxiety disorder because it runs in your family, and it doesn't hurt to ask if you see a counselor already for occasional check-ins after having depression. Often times, anxiety and severe depression go hand in hand. I didn't experience anxiety symptoms until after I had my first bad depressive episode. If there's one thing I've learned, you simply can't "pull yourself together." Physical symptoms of mental disorders don't go away, and the best thing you can do is try to fight through them before you get help, or if your symptoms aren't severe enough to be diagnosed as a disorder. Don't get down on yourself for being anxious. You can't help it, and that's okay. It just means you have to work a little bit harder than other people, so when you do succeed, it makes it even more special.
