What would you do..

[captainkitty]

I'm currently 28 weeks pregnant and have one more prenursing course to go before I can apply to nursing school. The thing is it is a summer class & I will be around 37 weeks when the course ends. Not only that but I struggle with some bad anxiety while in school (or anxiety in general). I do a lot better online - I actually got two A's this semester on my online classes - however that class doesn't have online as an option. I'm worried if I will be able to do it with anxiety plus being pregnant all at the same time. This is a huge step for me because I was pretty much homebound with anxiety before I became pregnant. They say it won't be easier once the baby is here so I really do want to get it out of the way. I'm just so scared. I'm going to have to do it eventually.. Would you take the summer class or wait?

[raggamuffin]

You have to ask yourself what in school provoked more anxiety. These fears and worries should be addressed. Just because you had anxieties in one place doesn't mean every single school or college will cause you anxiety.

It's the same if you had a panic attac in a clothes store. You might then assosciate every clothes shop with danger. in reality anxiety symptoms can come and go as they please. Trickk is to allow them to come and go. You can't fight a pain or symptom. Your body is giving out these symptoms to say it's stressed and needs time to rest and recover.

Another question you must ask yourself is how plausible is it to do the course after you have the baby? Have you factored in child care costs or relatives who could babysit whilst you study? Studying, deadlines and coursework etc can be stressful. Anxious people can react to stress differently. How did you find studying at home in terms of work load? Will the workload be similar in this new course?

If you want to get it out of the way and feel confident you can succeed in the course then go for it. Don't think about the what if's in terms of anxiety. You can feel just as anxious in places of comfort like your bed or your bath. The key is accepting the anxiety. By accepting and understanding it then anxiety has a lot less fear and worry to feed off of. I'm sure udnertaking studies will provide a welcome distraction from any anxiety issues that are running through your mind.

Ed