SO STRESSED ABOUT UNI WORK

Dear Coleen

I have this really big essay to write for my university course which is due in soon. Trouble is, I can’t do it. All my friends are way ahead of me, but every time I try to work I can’t organise my thoughts and it’s making me very anxious, and I get so worked up about it that I can’t concentrate.

The more time goes by, the more worried I get, and I’m in a constant state of stress. I’m even having nightmares about it.

I know this might seem like a silly problem, but it’s really affecting me and I’m worried I’m going to fail.

Have you any advice?

Coleen says

I haven’t done an essay for a very, very long time, but I remember my kids experiencing similar angst! OK, you need to create a bit of calm here – no more caffeinated drinks, a good night’s sleep and then make a plan for your essay.

You also need to think about things logically – the cause of all this distress is NOT writing your essay, so the way to solve it is by getting something down on paper, even if it’s just a skeleton plan to begin with so you can organise your thoughts. You’ll probably find that once you actually make a start, a lot of that anxiety will go and you’ll feel much calmer.

Stop thinking 10 steps ahead about failing the essay and just do the best you can.

It sounds as if you’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself to do an amazing job and that’s what could be stopping you from actually putting pen to paper. Do it one step at a time.