I really need to get some work done tonight cos I'm now behind after being ill this week, but whenever I sit down to do I some I keep getting panic attacks. My heart just races and I feel really giddy. Neither of my parents are here atm cos they're seeing my bro, and I don't know how i can control them. And when I say I need to get some work done, I really do, I've got mocks in two weeks that I'm got to learn all my french and german for and I've got to do a stack of coursework. But my mind just can't cope with doing it! How can I stop them?

Sounds like you're just really stressed...and I know how you feel, I just feel urgh tonight, as I've just got completely stressed out. I think with your intelligence you'll be able to get by your mocks even if you don't work tonight! Maybe explain to your teachers? You need to have a night off tonight. *hugs*

I know it's hard though - it's like a vicious circle: you're behind so you panic. You realise you have so much work to do. You panic even more. You then think you'll have a panic attack/worry about having one, you do, and then you think you've wasted even more time?

http://www.stresscenter.com/control_panic_attacks.htm

I'll MSN you...

Nicki is quite right - you will do alright without putting on this extra strain. Have the night off.

I'm afraid I don't listen to my own advice

PD, I suggest you follow the advice Nicki has pointed you towards; then, if things haven't improved, go and see your GP. They'll be able to advise you further as to how to deal with your problems, and produce a medical certificate if necessary should your schoolwork be affected.

Wise advice here. Let your parents know what's happening, and get them to take you to the GP if necessary.

There's a vicious circle in worrying about having so much to do which can lead to your not doing any of it because doing one thing means not doing the others.

The only way to break this circle is to choose to do just one thing (and ignore the others) and do that. And then have a rest and relax once you finish that (maybe play some fun music, NOT practice). And then chose just one other thing and do that, then relax again.

Yes, it means that some stuff might not get done, but that's less of a disaster than nothing getting done.

I'm sure your teachers know you're a conscientious pupil, and they won't beat you up if they know you've been overloaded.

It also helps to think of the worst case scenario - where do you don't get anything done at all. From that, any small thing you manage to do will be an improvement on that worse case scenario.

Katyjay gives good advice - concentrate on one thing at a time. If and when you get really stuck or fed-up, move on to another and then come back to it later with a fresh perspective - you don't get bored that way and you end up using your time more effectively.

Not sure about having a night off - it might work, but on the other hand, it might be better to get on with SOMEthing and achieve something, no matter how small. Putting it off could just make you feel worse....

Break it down in manageable chunks. Put everything else away, out of sight so that it doesn't outface you, except the one thing that you have decided to work on. Make it a simple, achievable thing, that you will find relatively quick and easy to complete. If you can achieve a few small things and get them out of the way and off your mind, it will make it easier to concentrate on a larger project.

And as others have said, don't suffer in silence. It's a very common thing to happen and it's much better to share the problem, maybe with your parents, or maybe a teacher ....

Or right now, ring up a friend, cousin, gran, anybody who will just help you break the cycle of worry that you're in right now if your parents still aren't back.

Sorry to hear you're suffering in this way. Does your school have a counsellor who you could go and talk to in confidence?

Amber
x

What about...

if you're head is in gridlock get the blood flowing through your brain by going for a walk or a swim and try to work out some sort of order of priority - for instance if your coursework counts towards your exam results and your mocks don't count for anything I would have thought completing your coursework would be your first priority, even if you totally fluff your mocks. Do enough coursework so you at least feel a bit more on track for the deadline.

As to your French and German, have you tried recording vocabulary/ other information and then playing it back to yourself quietly when you go to bed? my wife did something like this with professional (not language) exams and quite a lot went in - it also helped her sleep because she didn't panic about "stopping working".

And of course, there's always bananas .......

Oh - and hanging around here too much probably isn't going to help - perhaps you should limit yourself to a quick 10 min read through at a set time each day!

A panic attack is an exaggerated stress response to a real or imagined aversive stimulus. Given what you say about the attacks coming when you sit down to do some work, the work appears to be that stimulus. Unfortunately, taking the night off is unlikely to stop the work (or something about it) being aversive. Seeing the GP is the best advice anyone has offered so far, but internet fora are not great places to seek medical advice, and music fora are particularly inappropriate. Would you go to a therapy forum and ask how to tune a violin?

Nothing anyone has said here, with the best of intentions, should be taken as a substitute for getting proper, professional help as soon as you can. Panic attacks can be cured so that they go away and never come back, and you can stop having them too, but for that you need skilled help. Start by seeing your GP. In the meantime, stay away from caffeine (coffee, coke etc) and other stimulants.

b