Career questions tagged stress
Continuous overthinking and frustration about everything ?
I’m an international student in the U.S., and I’ve never lived far from my family before. I just completed my first semester, and for the past four months, it feels like all I’ve been doing is surviving. I cry a lot, and I’ve been experiencing a strange kind of FOMO — like I’m missing out while my friends back home are enjoying their lives. I don’t have any friends here, and with so many other stressors, I’m finding it really hard to live happily. All I want is to be happy with my choices, to do something meaningful with my life, complete my major, and build a career here — because coming abroad has always been my dream. But now that I’m here, I find myself caught between moments of enjoyment and moments of deep sadness or frustration. I can’t seem to control my thoughts. I keep overthinking everything — that I won’t be able to finish my degree, that I won’t be able to build a career, and that I’ll end up being a financial burden on my family. I feel emotionally exhausted. It’s like everyone I trusted has let me down, and I’m left completely alone. I recently went through a breakup, and he was the only person who gave me some comfort. Now that he’s gone, I feel like I’m stuck in an endless spiral of thoughts — thinking and thinking with no way out. At the same time, I’m extremely anxious about choosing the right major. I keep wondering if I’ll ever fit in here, or if I’m just missing out on my college life while my friends back home are moving forward and figuring everything out. I feel stuck — like I’m falling behind, while everyone else has direction. This strange sadness isn’t something new. It’s been with me for years. But now, I truly want to change. I don’t want to be the person who’s always sad or gloomy about everything. I want to learn how to find joy, even in stressful situations. But right now, I cry over every little inconvenience, and I get frustrated very easily when things don’t go my way. I feel like I should be able to handle things more calmly and peacefully. I often feel like I’m a burden — emotionally and financially — on my family. And I genuinely don’t know what to do or what not to do. I’m in desperate need of clear, detailed guidance — not just general advice, but real direction that can help me figure things out and bring me to a better place mentally, emotionally, and academically. I also compare myself and my situation to others — and I do it in such intense and detailed ways that it becomes paralyzing. My mind keeps telling me, “If things had been different, you’d be happier,” even though I know that even if things were different, I’d probably still find something else to compare. It’s exhausting. I seek emotional validation from others and struggle to do things on my own. I want so badly to be emotionally independent. But in my last relationship, I became so dependent — and I still replay memories of the good times. He was so sweet to me, and then suddenly it was all gone. I keep questioning myself — where are all the promises he made? Why am I the one who has to suffer? The saddest part is, I’ve always had trouble trusting people. Even in the beginning of that relationship, I was cautious. But with time, I trusted him more than I trusted myself. He made many promises, and I made it clear to him not to promise things unless he truly meant them. He insisted that he did. And eventually, I believed he wasn’t like everyone else. But now he’s gone. He’s moved on — and worse, he’s already in a new relationship. The way he told me about his new girlfriend made me feel sick. It was like he had become a completely different person. I genuinely believed our connection was deep and real — the first true one I’d ever experienced. I thought no one could replace it. I thought we would be happy together. Now I feel like everyone I’ve ever truly valued has left or hurt me. And I start to wonder — am I the problem? Am I doing something wrong? I just want to have one true, lasting connection. But every time I think I’ve found it, it disappears. People tell me I’m just overwhelmed, and that’s why I feel this way. But why is it that others seem to cope and move on, while I’m stuck in this storm of emotions? I hear people say “It was just a breakup,” or “It was just a friendship,” but to me, it was more than that. I feel so deeply alone. Every time I find something meaningful, it slips through my fingers. I’m trying to see a therapist through university services, but they’re overwhelmed with students, and I barely get to meet with her. It’s hard to build a meaningful connection, and I don’t feel like I’m making any progress. Every time I try to move forward, I feel like I just sink deeper. I’ve always dreamed of having a really good friend group — people who support each other and do sweet little things together. But I’ve never had that. And now, I sometimes look at others and think, Wow, look at how beautiful their friendship is, how they do things together. And I’m just here — alone. I really don’t want to keep thinking about the past, or about the future, or about other people — whether I have friends, or a boyfriend, or anything. I just want to focus on improving myself. I say that I don’t want anything to do with others, that I want to be strong and independent — but at the same time, I keep feeling like I’m missing out. I’m missing out on everything — on relationships, friendships, experiences, memories. It’s like I’m constantly being left behind. That feeling haunts me all the time.
How can I decrease the chance of getting stress for the courses I am going to take?
I am a senior this year, and I am getting ready to graduate. Throughout my four years of high school, I noticed that I stressed out too much about the classes I was taking. This caused me to not get enough sleep, which led to me being very tired. I want to avoid getting stressed and, instead, balance my time between school and life outside of school work. I would love to get help on how I can balance my life!
How do I continue into college when I feel so exhausted after high school? Does senioritis reset, or will I feel as drained in college?
I'm about to graduate as a senior out of high school, from Sato Academy of Math and Science in Long Beach, California, and I feel like it's drained me. Will the summertime be a time for rejuvenation? Does the senioritis wear off in time for my freshman year of college? Or will I feel just as exhausted?
What was a time you had to advocate for a patient, and how did you handle it? #Spring25
I'm currently in nursing school and thinking a lot about how nurses handle situations where patients can't speak up for themselves, especially in high-stress environments like the ICU.
As a Highschool student going to college soon, How does college compare to High school?
I'm curious about the workload, how you manage stress, and what the people are like. I'm majoring in Game Art and will be attending RMCAD this fall. I tend to get anxious and stressed when it comes to school, so I’m a little worried about how I’ll handle everything. #Spring25
How should a student in college approach juggling school, work, and social responsibilities What would be some good stress-relieving strategies to cope with all of these demands? #Spring25
For context, I am a 19-year-old rising sophomore at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. I'm currently trying to juggle classes and will have to work this upcoming semester to pay for my classes, so I would love any advice on how to deal with this.
how can someone handle distractions?
i am a student of high school handling distractions with different aspects
I'm struggling to keep up with the other kids in my grade what are some ways I can bring my grades up and concentrate more on what's going on in my class?
I have some family drama so I've been moving around from school to school missing lots of subjects and important classes I have no idea how to catch up or what I need to do
How do you stay financially stable with a career in the arts?
I am a sophmore in highschool beginning to prepare for my future. I am really creative and want to expirience new things everyday. I am very invested in the arts and would like to stay involved in them in some way. I fear that being involved will cause me to struggle in the future. Here I am involved in theatre, dance, choir, Student council, and NHS. I am a good leader and really enjoy social interaction.
Is commercial piloting a low or high stress job ?
I am a high-school student in Minnesota and I don't know if I would like to be a commercial pilot. It is my top option but I know every career has some disadvantages
How am I going to handle all of the stress in college if I can’t even handle the stress from 8th grade?
I have so much homework all of the time and have dance everyday of the week so I can barely get it done. I am terrible at science but I want to become a doctor which includes a lot of scientific knowledge in it.
just a question but?
what is it like being a psychiatrist/ counselor I want to be one but I'm scared and i don'r know if i can handle the stress and emotional toll how do some of you guys handle it
how do you deal with college? seriously?
I'm in college right now, and I do well (I have a GPA above 3.7) However, handling these classes are hard. Not the classes itself, but taking 5 classes at the same time. I can manage, in my mind, four courses at a time, Yet I always seem to never really mind the last one. This is not a grade issue but a stress issue. Especially with doing projects 2-3 days before the deadline + passing, but feeling like you lost 70 hours of sleep. How do you stay on top of 5 classes without feeling stressed?
How should I create my weaknesses one of my strengths?
I can create one of my weaknesses one of my strengths, instead of stressing over everything think it out and not stress about it.
How do I manage school-related stress?
I feel like I’m always overthinking and stressing about school now and in the future, how should I manage this stress?
How do I improve my focus?
I am a high school jr who is taking some difficult college courses from a local university. The workload requires almost all of my free time. Finals are coming up in two weeks, and if I don't do almost perfectly on the exams I will not be making an A in two of my classes. I have struggled all semester to get my work done. I study all day and still don't get everything accomplished.
How do you deal with stress?
In school it gets really overwhelming and stressful and the teachers and peers just keep talking making me even more stressed and i don't know anything to help my stress when i cant get out of the class.
How to overcome thoughts about "not being productive" during holidays and breaks?
Hi, During the first year of high school, I began having thoughts during winter, spring or summer break about how I'm not being "productive", till now I still get those thoughts and I'm in university. It stresses me out and refrains me from fully enjoying my holiday/break. I'm afraid that these thoughts will continue after I graduate and have a job. Common phrases that pop up in my head are: -> You should get ahead of the curriculum. -> You should do online courses to gain more skills for the future. -> You should be productive, this isn't being productive. -> You have done nothing all day. -> You've got so many assignments upcoming.
How to deal with being overwhelmed and procrastination in University ?
Hi, I'm a university student, currently taking foundation courses. All my coursework are assignments and essays based. I find that when I think of an assignment that I have to do, I think that the assignment is too difficult and that it will take hours for me to complete it. When I finally get the courage to sit down and do it (usually assisted with a friend or because the deadline is literally in an hour or in minutes), I realize it's not that bad, sometimes I even enjoy it. I just want to learn how to get over that hurdle of being overwhelmed and to cease the thoughts that make the coursework bigger than it actually is.
what advice/ tactics can you give me to use when I feel like I want to give up or feel really stressed ?
I want to be a nurse in labor and delivery, I know it can get really stressful or hard working in the medical felid which can make you feel all kinds of way and for some people cause depression because something happened to a patient or what not that made you think of your own family, and I just want advice on how to deal with it because I myself suffered depression and sometimes I don't know how to deal with my stressful thoughts at times. This question is also for people and myself for just starting school in college soon.
Is the stress of being an accountant manageable?
I'm looking into going into accounting and finance, but don't have an idea of specifically what job I would want. When thinking about accounting, I think of sitting in an office all day and simply doing whatever it is you do for your company. Is the stress manageable or hard to handle?
To college students, what would be the best way to manage your time?
I struggle to use my time wisely and tend to sleep. I was wondering about a way to survive college with less stress and more sleep time. I would like to learn a way to give me time for fun.
How hard is it to stay motivated and mentally healthy as a Psychologist ?
Is being in the mental health field difficult at times ? If so, why ? Also, what are some good ways to prepare yourself for that kind of work on a daily basis ?