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Crowd Anxiety in School

Discussion in 'Coming Out Advice' started by silentsound, Sep 5, 2009.

  1. silentsound

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    I just started school this past Tuesday. I'm in a new school this year and taking a demanding course load. Generally I've been far more relaxed about the "transition" thing than most of my peers because my family moves a lot so I've been the new kid so many times that when everyone's new it just doesn't seem like a big deal.

    These past couple of days I have been having some trouble at school though. I am fine once I get into class, but when I am in the hallways- especially narrower, darker, noisier, more crowded hallways- I start to feel really uncomfortable. I just feel like everything is suddenly too close and my breathing gets a bit heavier. I just want to get out. I am normally a pretty touchy-feely person, but this past week even outside of crowded places the idea of being touched makes me tense up a little. I haven't had any tolerance for background noise like a tv or my mom practicing piano either. I just want the world to leave me alone. I told my parents I didn't want to go to church tomorrow because I want to sleep in, but really I don't like the idea of being in a room with so many people or all of the hugs I will get from my friends.

    I've never been a particularly claustrophobic person and have spent many years navigating crowded halls and been totally fine. This is something that has come really suddenly in the past week. I'm not sure if it's just the stress of starting a new school and challenging classes or if it actually could turn into something but it's really starting to affect me and I need some help. Does anyone have any advice for dealing with/ overcoming this sort of problem?
     
  2. Mirko

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    Hi there! I never had any experience with something like this, but if you find it to become even stronger you might want to talk to someone about it who could help you with it. Maybe ask in the counseling office if they could give you some information on that. It could also be anxiety related and/or being stressed out a little. The start of school (in particular at a new school) and having a demanding course load can cause some stress and perhaps also leave you feeling a little irritated. Try to relax as much as possible and try to avoid crowded places for now and see if you see a change in how you feel about it. But do try to talk to someone at school or perhaps even outside of school about it.

    I hope it helps a little bit. Good luck with your studies. :slight_smile: