From nandini4210: I’m having a very bad anxiety and I feel terrible. I have exams in 18 days I am not well prepared for it. It’s too shameful to cry over studies. But idk how to manage it. I get so scared that I avoid my work which makes it tougher. But idk how to cope with it. It’s so hard
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Thank you so much for reaching out, Nandini. I hope that after posting this, you were able to take some deep breaths. And if not, please consider taking even just a minute now to breathe deeply, close your eyes, and ground yourself in the truth that you will be okay.
Having exams soon can be very challenging and very stressful - it makes completely sense to feel overwhelmed by all of it. I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing shameful in crying because of it. On the contrary, allowing yourself to cry is a good and healthy way to release the pressure. Anxiety builds up in the body, to he point of making you feel it physically, and when you give yourself permission to let it all out, you are also taking care of you.
I have personally been in the same spiral as you when I was a student - navigating an incredibly overwhelming anxiety due to the exams and deadlines approaching, and it usually felt like each day forward made it all worse. In reality, there’s a lot of people struggling the same way, but it’s not necessarily visible. Truth be told: you are not alone, my friend, and there is absolutely nothing in this situation that would make you weird, broken or even worthless. This is an objectively stressful time for you, and it’s absolutely okay to say it.
18 days is still a long way to go even if it feels like a very short time. Until then, it will be important to try, as much as possible, to balance times when you prepare yourself for it and times when you will intentionally take care of you. I’m personally a pro-procrastinator when it comes to tasks that stress the heck out of me, and understand the vicious cycle it creates in the end. What usually helps is to try to focus on overcoming the first step and to work through small increments. The pomodoro method sometimes can be a great asset for this - you set an intention of working for 5 minutes, then take 1 minute of break, then do 5 minutes again. Little by little, you will find yourself able to extend the duration of these sessions during which you focus on your tasks at hand. What matters, and what helps usually with these fears that are paralyzing, is to really aim to start and initiate some movement, no matter for how long.
I would like to encourage you to try to take some time today, away from studying, but to intentionally prepare an action plan for the next 18 days, one that would include both ways to support yourself in studying, but also having times for YOU without having to worry about any of this - real moments and activities dedicated to self-care.
You can make through this rough season, friend. It’s scary and difficult, but you have time to strategize some steps ahead. Nothing is written already. I believe in you! 