Need help

[doom1]

i am 16 years old and i think i have anxiety. Last year in high school was fine but this year has been a nightmare for me. My english class is the problem, this year i have been stressing out over reading outloud in class every day and at night. Sometimes i can't goto sleep or i get in a terrible mood because im always worrying over it. Last year i had a teacher i was comfortable with and we could raise our hand if we wanted to read but this year i dont feel comfortable with my class and my teacher uses participation cards and if my card comes up i have to read. When i start reading my heart starts pounding really fast, i start to think about bad things like im not going to make it or im going to die. I feel like im going to die, my breath become really short. When ever i try to take another breath to read i can't because theres a lack of oxygen for some reason. So basically this class has been taking over my life. Im going to talk to my teacher tommorow and see if he can pull my card out for the remainder of the year. Also, i think because of this class every single morning when i get in the car to goto school i feel like im going to throw up. When i arrive at any class in the morning i sit there and i feel like im going to barf for 3 minutes then i feel fine, then the feeling comes back over and over again becausei think im stressing out over the class. Like "Oh, maybe ill have to read today." I'm always thinking about that. Some people tell me i have a stomach virus that makes me feel like im going to throw up all the time. The thing is i feel fine outside of the class room. Like outside in the cool air really makes me feel better or when im not at school im fine. Its just when im in a class room with a lot of people and it gets hot in there the feeling comes back. I haven't thrown up in like 6 years and this year iv always felt like it but it never happens. Sometimes i feel junk clogged in my throat and i think im going to throw up. With the reading i ONLY have trouble in my english class, in other classes i get a tiny bit nervous like everyone else does but then after a second of reading im fine. In my english class my voice starts to crackle and i feel horrible the whole way, sometimes if its a long paragraph and im at the very end i start to calm down.

[V for Victor]

Hmm. You could have your teacher remove your name from the box, but if he/she is unwilling, you'd probably have to get a doctor to help persaude them.

On the other hand, there are ways that you can turn this into a form of exposure therapy, with the right approach. I've talked a lot with another kid I know via these boards about his social-related anxieties, including reading in class, and he has made some really inspirational progress by taking a direct approach to his fears, and conquering them. However, I know that it's not always easy.

It basically sounds like you may have a bit of Social Anxiety Disorder.
You might want to do some research on that topic and see what you turn up. Also, there is always the option of speaking with a doctor or counselor if you feel you need to.

By the way, do you drive yourself to school, or do you ride with somebody else? Having an anxiety attack while driving can be problematic, and sometimes dangerous. I used to be really nervous while driving, but I've gotten over that for the most part. I think it just depends on getting comfortable behind the wheel when you're young. (I'm 18 now.)

[doom1]

I ride to school with my sister, i am 16 and i will have my liscense in a couple of months. I think i have the social anxiety problem but its not worth it to help because this year is almost over and the next two years i dont think the teachers use cards so i can raise my hand if i choose to participate. Plus i know its not a long term problem because last years english class was a breeze for me as far as reading goes, i used to love to read outloud now i hate it. My old teacher was a fun humorous guy and i had no problem. I am better than others at pronouncing and reading fast so thats not a problem i dont stutter or read extremely slow. I am changing my diet a little bit. Ever since i stopped drinking soda i have turned to gatorade and powerade and iv been drinking it a lot and i just found out that it has more acid in it and my stomach may not be liking that. When ever i get finished eating at a restauraunt i feel the same way and my stomach is bloated. I think these two problems could be similar and the solution is to drink mainly water and drop the gatorade. I actually have been drinking more gatorade than water which is bad. But im going to talk to my teacher tommorow about it and im sure he will understand if he doesn't then my parents said they would be more than happy to get in on it. I just want to know the fact that i don't have to read in class then i would go back to how i used to be last year. I was a very outgoing fun no worry kind of person, i miss those days. Thanks for the post.