Anyone with anxiety/depression?

[moarmoonfire]

I'm having the roughest time doing my applications due to my anxiety and depression, and I'm wondering if anyone else is having or had the same problems and would be willing to talk with me about it. Just thinking about doing anything is stressing me out so badly.

[ktel]

I am IN grad school and have been dealing with mild anxiety/depression. Causes me to procrastinate because I'm so anxious about my work. I contacted my university's counselling services and am talking to someone there. It's helpful, but basically me telling a stranger the same things I tell my dad or boyfriend when I'm stressed out.

[ladybug3]

I PM-ed you, but the short answer is that yes, there are those of us out there who struggled with anxiety disorders and/or major depressive disorder while applying to grad school.

To be honest, I think the process itself could make the calmest of people anxious about the situation at hand - and their future in general. I think anxiety is something grad students can relate far too much to.

[ktel]

My advice to you is to get off this forum. Seriously. I am so grateful that I did not know about this place until after I had applied and was already accepted. I had no doubts I would be accepted, but I'm sure this forum would have put serious doubts into my mind

[juilletmercredi]

I'm not applying but I do have anxiety and depression. I had a depressive episode this summer that meant I wasted a lot of time and didn't get done what I needed to, which is going to set me back a bit, but I needed to get out of the funk. I feel better now, but it's a process. My depressive episodes also mean that whenever I think about even starting work I get anxious.

I go to counseling on and off and have recently begun exploring natural ways to control my anxiety. Exercise really helps, and taking some herbal supplements to help me sleep and calm down during the day also help. I've recently gotten into tea and omg, it's made such a difference.

About whether to stay here: that's debateable. I love forums when I am stressed because I feel a community of people who are going through the same thing as me, including the anxiety and fear that comes along with getting into and completing graduate school.

[michigan girl]

Here is my advice for relieving stress in graduate school:

1. Go outside and get some sunshine. Do not stay inside the entire day. The sun can give you a much needed energy boost.

2. Drink tea and other herbal supplements. The antioxidants inside tea can ease tension headaches and stress all over your body.

3. If you can afford it, try to get a massage every other month. Stress can build up inside your body muscles, making you feel inflexible and irritable.

4. Exercise, exercise, exercise. It's good for your heart, body and soul.

5. Get a planner, organize your life, and try to stick to that schedule. Set aside one day that is strictly non-school-related so that you can just relax.

6. Don't sleep on a mattress that hurts your spine or body. It's worth spending top dollar for a mattress that is comfortable for your body frame.

7. Get at least seven hours of sleep. Coffee and other caffeinated drinks have their limits. Give your body a break!

8. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Wearing the wrong size or heel can make you accident-prone with joint and muscle problems.

9. Take advantage of school breaks where you engage in a non-school-related activity. This will help you avoid nervous breakdowns.

10. Seek a support network (via friends, counselor, or family) so that you can bounce ideas from each other and realize you're not the only one suffering.

[Hatem]

Me too!

[ladybug3]

I was just reading this today: http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/09/05/the-broken-generation/

It is a McLean's article about how mental health issues are increasing in students right now, especially compared to students in previous decades.

[teethwax]

I have anxiety/depression too, and most days I'm in this weird situation where the anxiety makes me feel overwhelmed about how much stuff I have to do, and the depression makes me feel like when I do it, it'll be terrible anyway. I'm trying to break things down into the smallest possible chunks, which tends to help me, and to work on things early.

[GradHooting]

My anxiety just gets compounded every year I get rejected from everywhere. One psychologist fears that it is causing bipolar symptoms to emerge.

[Ennue]

Yes, I also suffer from anxiety/depression and as someone else said, I think a lot of grad students do. If you are already having trouble with the application process I am not sure that graduate school (at least a PhD program) would be right for you. Of course that's a very personal thing, but the application process is only the beginning - after that it gets much worse (with regards to pressure to perform a lot of good work, organize your time, and rejections of applications for all sorts of things). Clearly I am speaking from my personal experience of getting depressed during grad school, but it's worth thinking about. Applying is only the beginning, if it makes you this unhappy then perhaps you should try something else.

Good luck.

[pheonixx]

Get yourself into some therapy! A lot of graduate students experience some depression and anxiety and grad school definitely doesn't make it better. Having someone to talk to can help! Good luck

[virmundi]

Here is my advice for relieving stress in graduate school:

1. Go outside and get some sunshine. Do not stay inside the entire day. The sun can give you a much needed energy boost.

2. Drink tea and other herbal supplements. The antioxidants inside tea can ease tension headaches and stress all over your body.

3. If you can afford it, try to get a massage every other month. Stress can build up inside your body muscles, making you feel inflexible and irritable.

4. Exercise, exercise, exercise. It's good for your heart, body and soul.

5. Get a planner, organize your life, and try to stick to that schedule. Set aside one day that is strictly non-school-related so that you can just relax.

6. Don't sleep on a mattress that hurts your spine or body. It's worth spending top dollar for a mattress that is comfortable for your body frame.

7. Get at least seven hours of sleep. Coffee and other caffeinated drinks have their limits. Give your body a break!

8. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Wearing the wrong size or heel can make you accident-prone with joint and muscle problems.

9. Take advantage of school breaks where you engage in a non-school-related activity. This will help you avoid nervous breakdowns.

10. Seek a support network (via friends, counselor, or family) so that you can bounce ideas from each other and realize you're not the only one suffering.

This is a wonderful post. Don't feel like you have to manage all ten at once. Pick three things (or more) from the list and try to figure out how you are going to fit them into your life. Then add more as you feel capable of doing it. Chances are you, like a lot of Americans these days, are not getting enough vitamin D. There are differing opinions about how much you should get, but numbers I have seen tossed around are between 1-2,000 IUs/day of D3. You might want to consider a supplement, especially in the winter time.

Also -- know that you are not alone.

[sonatine]

I am having some serious anxiety issues...when the thought of applying to graduate school pops into my head I feel sick to my stomach and panicked. I have financial burdens which are really derailing my ability to pay for the GRE...and then application fees. It's all so overwhelming and I have a lot of respect for the people who work through this stressful limbo period between undergrad and grad school.

We'll all make it, though. I mean, who hasn't been anxious throughout undergraduate work.

[spunkrag]

My advice to you is to get off this forum. Seriously. I am so grateful that I did not know about this place until after I had applied and was already accepted. I had no doubts I would be accepted, but I'm sure this forum would have put serious doubts into my mind

This. I had the same exact experience. I found this forum in the fourth year of my Ph D program and couldn't believe some of the horror stories about grad school applications (and other issues too). I know they affect a relatively small proportion of applicants, but the bad stuff seems to often outweigh the good (or at least that's how I read into it.) I even found myself questioning how I managed to get into a reasonably well-respected doctoral program in my field (which is not soc, nor am I at KU).

Also, learning how to meditate and practicing mindfulness are invaluable, especially for people living with anxiety and depression.

[budgiepie]

Yep. Doesn't help that I freak out even making basic human contact in my worst anxiety spells. Makes grad apps a little harder but luckily so many things are through email/internet these days. I dread speaking on the phone though.

One thing I noticed is worse your sleep cycle gets worse the depression/anxiety/bipolar/whatever disease gets.

[vicky212009]

Recently i'v got a lot of pressure from the gre test and some personal things. The more time i focus on some trivial things the more anxiety i will get. Even though i got so many reasonable advices, i still dont know how to handle it. Seems like it is easier to tell others how to deal with their peoblems

[UnlikelyGrad]

Sorry, haven't been here much in recent months (have been in just enough to do moderator duties and haven't read through new posts) and am just now seeing this.

I had depression for many years before starting grad school. Nice thing about being depressed in grad school: free counseling through the student counseling center! Eventually I was referred to a specialist (but the school still covers most of the cost) and put on anti-depressants. Anyway, I have blogged quite a bit about this.

http://unlikelygrad.wordpress.com/category/depression/