[Celyn]

Hey there,

Depression and anxiety are difficult to deal with, especially when it gets in the way of your life and schooling. It's good that you went back to night classes in college though, even if it didn't work out for you. At least you tried. I'm wondering though, have you ever had treatment for your anxiety and depression? If you are still at college, you could talk to your college counsellor. If not, you can talk to your doctor for a referral for counselling. It's something you might want to look into, if you haven't already, because counselling can help you to manage your feelings and find ways of preventing or dealing with panic attacks so that they don't get in the way of your life.

It's okay to have a break from education, if you don't feel well enough right now. You can always come back to it later on. One of the hardest things with anxiety is that it is a cycle- the more you avoid something, the harder it seems to get in the future. But being able to break out of the cycle when you feel a bit better will really help, I'm sure.

I'm sorry to hear that you can't sleep or eat because of the anxiety. Is there something in particular that's bothering you, or just general anxiety? What might help is to do some deep breathing exercises (loads of tutorials around the internet). This may help to relax your muscles, so that you wont be so tense that you don't feel like eating. It's also good to talk to others about what you are going through rather than keeping feelings bottled up to yourself. Don't be ashamed of crying either because it's a healthy expression of emotion.

I'm wondering if your college might be able to help you in some way? Perhaps if the work bothers you, you can ask for extensions? Or if you find going into college difficult, perhaps you can have the work sent to you at home? You may also be able to look into distance learning, as places like the Open University, offer courses that can be taken online from the comfort of your own home.

Hope this helps a bit!