Super_Hyphy
03-18-2014, 06:32 PM
Have any of you guys ever experienced debilitating anxiety regarding academic essays or similar work-related assignments? This has recently been an ever-present phenomena for me: I can't write essays. I could talk to someone for days about various academic topics and argue about very detailed topics but I can't write. Every time I start writing a paper, I become hyper-critical of my work and start freezing up. I question my ability to write or the validity of my statements and become perfectionist to the nth degree. All of a sudden, writing becomes a painful excercise whereas before it was routine. I used to be able to pump out a paper in 2 hours but it takes 12-24 hours with the aid of stimulants and without stimulants, I am crippled and simply can't write. This just leads to more anxiety because I my self-esteem is further decreased and I lose more faith in my writing abilities.
I have the theory that this is due to high expectations at the college I attend. Professors are expected to always give you helpful remarks that critique your writing regardless if it earns an A or a C so there is always a lot of criticism and I get the sense that I have internalized this to the point that I perceive any sentence in a word document as 5th grade drivel that is unfit for consumption.
What do I do about this? I feel like there are obvious answers like "free-writing" or downloading dictation software but every time I try alternatives, I freeze up or participate in extreme procrastination so I'm guessing that this is a deep mental problem that can't be easily solved. Do you guys have any tips for tackling intensive situational anxiety?
Addendum: I don't experience much anxiety that is unrelated to being evaluated by others in one way or another but this is crippling because it is preventing me from filling out internship applications or going to social events or writing papers. I increasingly only feel comfortable when I'm by myself and keeping my thoughts to myself.
I have the theory that this is due to high expectations at the college I attend. Professors are expected to always give you helpful remarks that critique your writing regardless if it earns an A or a C so there is always a lot of criticism and I get the sense that I have internalized this to the point that I perceive any sentence in a word document as 5th grade drivel that is unfit for consumption.
What do I do about this? I feel like there are obvious answers like "free-writing" or downloading dictation software but every time I try alternatives, I freeze up or participate in extreme procrastination so I'm guessing that this is a deep mental problem that can't be easily solved. Do you guys have any tips for tackling intensive situational anxiety?
Addendum: I don't experience much anxiety that is unrelated to being evaluated by others in one way or another but this is crippling because it is preventing me from filling out internship applications or going to social events or writing papers. I increasingly only feel comfortable when I'm by myself and keeping my thoughts to myself.