I feel so overwhelmed over work and school

[user6417]

I have been feeling okay until 1.5 months ago.

Im a student in poly and my results have been above average for quite long. So i had the idea to add another commitment by working part time and juggling it along with education.

That was until my results for last semester came in recently and i found out that i scored very low overall. Not only that, my work can get pretty pressurising during peak hours (fnb)

I tend to overthink alot, and my recent grade along with work has made me feel so overwhelmed that i grow severely anxious alot of the time. I wake up with a weight in my heart and wanting to throw up because of what might happen to my grades in the future and the relationship between me and my colleagues(considering this is the first time i’ll be juggling work with education)

I want to take a break from everything but its not possible, and i want to know what i can do to manage my anxiety

Im sorry if it sounds very mild compared to other situations

[FuYuan_Affections]

Hey @user6417,

I noticed what you’ve done something many wouldn’t dare: you stretched yourself, took on both studies and work, believing you could because you’ve handled success before. That confidence, that drive, it’s there, even if this setback makes it hard to see.

It’s clear how hard your body is reacting to setbacks. It also sounds like this might be the first time something didn’t go the way you expected. The mix of low results and work stress can shake your footing, especially when you’ve always been “above average.” When success has been the normal, failure feels very personal, as if like you are spiralling out of control.

If I may ask, have you had a chance to share what actually happened with anyone close, or gotten support to navigate this? Sometimes just naming it to another person, the panic and the dread, helps the body feel less trapped. If you feel comfortable, you can reach out at Mindline 1771 or chat via WhatsApp.

And the way you apologised, “sorry if it sounds mild,” tells me you’re very self-conscious, almost as if you don’t have the right to this space. But you do. Your anxiety is valid. You’ve already shown courage by putting it into words here, that’s the first step in breaking its hold.

When anxiety spikes, the body moves into self-preservation; tightening muscles, holding breath, scanning for danger. And you naturally froze, not knowing what to do, you think it’s trying to protect you, but it ends up making you think the fear feel bigger and your body remembers.

That’s why grounding, breathing out longer than you breathe in, feeling your feet on the floor, helps remind your body that you’re safe enough to think clearly again.

Maybe something for you ponder, when you say you “scored very low overall,” what do you notice changed before that? was it fewer study hours? late shifts and poor sleep? or was it the mind replaying everything at night so you couldn’t rest? looking at that evidence helps you see which part of the anxiety has roots in your habits, not in your worth.

And if you attend to it differently this time, with pacing instead of pushing, perhaps you will notice the anxiety starts loosening its grip on you. This is hard, but can you say this to yourself? “I’m learning how to carry it differently.”