College Life With Ptsd

[ashdawn8287]

Hi. I am a college student. My experience college has been weird. I started when I was 18. Got straight A's at a local community college for 2 years. My dad got cancer so I quit and fell into an empty dark drunk hole for a few years. I started at the University right after I turned 24. Then my dad left the country. I failed that semester. I went back and was on academic probation.

After 2 semesters of working really hard and finally get off academic probation this semester I am having a hard time motivating myself to finish this semester. I had a lot happen this past month. I got diagnosed with endometriosis, overdosed, got diagnosed with PTSD (11 years of misdiagnosing me), and had surgery.

I know I am for sure going to fail one of my classes. I have an A and a B in my other classes.

I feel since I recently got diagnosed with PTSD I want to focus on healing and figuring out who I am. With college life it is very stressful. I do feel a sense of accomplishment and I don't want that to go away. However, I realize I can not handle more than 2 classes per semester. This is my balance I have found.

I am hoping to make some huge progress with my healing over the summer.

I work as a waitress and that is important for me to keep because it pushes me out of my comfort zone, forces me to socialize, but at the end of the day it is exhausting.

I always have a fear hanging over me that I will not finish school, and I will constantly quit and change jobs. That scares me.

Any positive feedback?

 

[Resilientbibliophile]

Greetings,

If it helps, know that a great many people around you within a community college environment too have stories, have pressures bearing upon them, and that only 20%-25% in fact complete their degree programs. Know too that across the typical college career, people often work in many a place with stability construed as holding onto a specific position being less common than you'd be tempted to imagine. View yourself as an exception - one who will accurately read the terrain and extract a good result where others might fail to. At worst, people return if they might be able to stabilize their situations. As for academic probation and the doings of a retention arm of the college, know this is everyday stuff and most staff is on your side.

Take what you can now, know that others too are struggling, and even insulate yourself if you can from others who predictably will not find their way forward. Perhaps identify pockets of nursing students studying in libraries and such to be in the proximity of those who will demonstrate the habits of assertion consistent with pulling through. Talk to your instructors in anticipation of deadlines, knowing that most of this will have to happen online or after class for they are in all likelihood commuters themselves spread across teaching gigs. Some stamina is required - a capacity to follow-through. What isn't yet part of your makeup must be allowed the chance to be added to your makeup for chances taken.

If some remedial work is necessary - then accept this and find some way to make up the distance. Core or foundational material not learned as new material heaps on is a means to slow death - hence consider tutors or at least verbalizing what isn't clicking if my meaning is understood. Consider being screened for learning disabilities if the community college maintains a lab of sorts. All of this is consistent with ensuring your survival - PTSD or not.

There is no reason to allow select awfulness experienced to morph into a cascade of awfulness. As bad as PTSD is and as beat up as you feel in relation to your father and surely much else not yet said, your self-protection and future can be safeguarded for some systematic (even if you feel terribly numb) optimization of what resources and possibilities are afforded to you across a reasonably good community college. At 18 years of age it is far too early to imagine that you'll not finish school or self-label as a failure. Return here in fifty years or more before considering such a line of thought! Kind regards...


M.

 

[ashdawn8287]

That was extremely inspiring. Thank you. I needed that.

 

[PinkSugar]

Hi! I'm a bit late but maybe you will see this.

I started college at 16, and made good grades and a part time job.

As I got older and my PTSD got worse school became harder, less interesting and less important. I understand where you are coming from, I would like to tell you it's extremely hard(as you know). PTSD is totally emotionally draining, and college (for me at least) was overflowing with triggers and anxiety. I think its important that you think highly of your self for wanting to go to college, and you give your self CREDIT for being able to succeed as you are. Go at the pace you feel comfortable. All the kids taking full loads most likely don't have to deal with PTSD, and I know you have a lot of strength to go as far as you have.

Emm