Panic attacks as a struggling Uni student

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I feel extreme shame and embarrassment that I’ll be heading into Year 4 as a student at SMU without internships. Internships are mandatory to graduate, and students typically take on internships in their year 2, but I’ve procrastinated so much that I only started looking after i finihsed my 3rd year.

I have been trying my best to apply and go for interviews, but the combination of rejections and lack of time to apply (due to my studying for external exams) have amplified by stress even higher. I worry about:

  1. I feel pathetic and small and i want to crawl into a hole and dissapear when i think that I’ll be the only student in the classroom with no internship, especially as a Year 4 who are expected to be looking for jobs already.
  2. I worry that no companies want a year 4 student with no internships because i have been facing some rejections / poor interview experience with companies i applied for.
  3. I worry that I will not be able to secure an internship in time after my Year 4 Term 1 where its my last chance.
  4. I think to myself that studying for external exams (part of my choice of carrer path) will be useless if im going to fail that exam anyways, and if i decide to give up on that career path and pursue something else

Im in a serious mess. My panic attacks have been increasing in frequncy these past few days. I need serious help to address my panic attacks ASAP when they occur.

Can someone please help me? I want to know more about CBT process and how it can help me calm the ■■■■ down

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Hi @cooloak3584. Thank you for taking down the time to share what you’re feeling right now. You’re carrying a lot right now which is why you find it overwhelming. And the shame spiral on top of the practical stress makes everything feel much heavier than it might otherwise be. It makes sense that your body is responding with panic attacks.

About what you asked about CBT, it’s actually about looping the thoughts, feelings and behaviours. When you’re in distress, that loop tends to be driven by thoughts that feel absolutely true but are actually distorted catastrophising, all-or-nothing thinking, mind-reading, and so on. CBT gives you tools to interrupt and reframe those thoughts, which in turn changes how you feel and what you do.

The panic attacks that you’re experiencing, you can try to do breathing or grounding exercise. However, if this persists, you should consider receiving professional support.