Stressed about being stressed

[Maxcellent]

I am a 15 year old sophomore boy. I have always gotten really good grades. I have never had any issues with doing well in school. I am a nervous person though, I always have been. I just am starting10th grade and like everyone else, I had that nervous and excited feeling the first few days. I got through the first 3 days good, just getting back into the swing of things.

Flashback about 3 weeks before school starts.. I start feeling tired and weak. Everyday I am very tired and weak and just frustrated because it is hard to do things. Some mornings, I would wake up and be super anxious and worried for no reason. I would try and think why I am feeling this way and nothing would come to mind; i would just be anxious for no reason. It was the worst in the morning. After that it cooled off and I was just tired and weak. (This feeling lasted around 2 weeks) So after about a week I got into the doctor and got my blood drawn. It turned out that I just had a slightly raised white blood cell count which the doctor thought was evidence of a summer virus of some sort. It went away about 2 weeks ago (This is just a tiny backround, it may not have to do with what is going on right now but just in case lol)

Then, come back to last weekend. It is the first saturday night of the school year. I sort of get into a small argument with my friend, but we got it figured out easily. I felt a bit frazzled from it until I went to sleep, not a big deal. So I am laying in bed and about to fall asleep and then all of the sudden it feels as if a wave of stress/anxiety comes over me. I don't know what is going on and I try to just ignore it and go to sleep because I am tired. But everytime right as I am about to fall asleep I jolt up and get a wave of stress. After about 20 minutes, i go to my parents and tell them what is up and my dad says it is from acid reflex from carbonated drinks I had earlier. So I go back to bed and it continues for a few hours.

This part is hard to explain and kind of weird, but everytime I would shut my eyes, it was like I was watching a random scene of something. For example: i would shut my eyes and see myself at school just sitting in class for 20 seconds and then I would open my eyes and be stressed. Then I would shut my eyes and immediately I would start watching something new like myself watching tv. It was very odd. I finally fell asleep and then woke up the next day and was stressed all day.

I thought it was a one night thing but then it has kept happening. I have taken tylenol pm the last two nights and thhat has helped me go to sleep except I wake up early and the same sort of things happen when I try to go back to sleep. I went to bed alright last night from the tylenol, I was too tired to stress I think. Apbut I woke up at like 5:00 and everytime I would shut my eyes, I would see myself in school. For like two hours I was trying to go to sleep and I couldn't get the image of me at school out of my head. I am not stressed about school I don't think. I am doing well and getting used to my classes. I tried to stop thinking about it but I just couldn't. It was really annoying because I was tired and wanted more sleep.

So now today I have felt fine, but because this has been happening, I am worried before I go to bed. I am not worried about school or anything, I just am worried that this is just going to keep happening. Basically, I am worried about wpbeing worried, which sounds really dumb to me. I don't want to be worried and I realize I have nothing to be worried about, my body is just being dumb.

I think this is an easy fix but i am just wondering if anybody has had this sort of thing happen to them? or how to stop stressing over nothing? Any help and support is appreciated! Thank you

[Steven Miller]

Does the school image happen on nights when you don't have school the next day, on Friday or Saturday night?

[Maxcellent]

Does the school image happen on nights when you don't have school the next day, on Friday or Saturday night?

It has happened on both week nights and weekend nights

[Kuma]

It is not so odd to be "stressed" about being "stressed." It does sound a bit strange, but it is actually pretty common. You get anxious a couple of times and you don't like the feeling -- because it interferes with your sleep or with your enjoyment of other things -- and then you get worried that it will happen again, and that causes more stress. It is sort of a vicious cycle.

But there are things you can do about it:

First, you can think about what you find relaxing, and try to do that before you go to bed. For some people, that is listening to music. For others reading. For some, drinking a tea that does not have caffeine. For some, meditation. Or something else. But you can try to develop a routine of doing something that you find relaxing.

Second, you can minimize or eliminate caffeine -- soda, etc., and also reduce the amount of processed foods and sugar that you eat.

Third, you can think hard about what it is that's causing your stress. Is there something in school -- either academically or socially or otherwise -- that you find stressful? Identifying what causes your stress can help you address it. Be honest with yourself -- what is it that you find stressful?

Fourth, you can learn to accept your stress, so it does not cause the vicious cycle. Some people have a higher stress level than others. That is OK. Some higher stress people actually channel it to be more productive. So it is not all bad. Of course, you don't want it to interfere with your life or your sleep, but try not to make it worse by being stressed about being stressed.

Finally, give it a little time. The beginning of school can be stressful even for a good student. Often, a few weeks into the school year, routine takes over and things get better.

Good luck. High school is a fun time of life. Enjoy!

[Maxcellent]

It is not so odd to be "stressed" about being "stressed." It does sound a bit strange, but it is actually pretty common. You get anxious a couple of times and you don't like the feeling -- because it interferes with your sleep or with your enjoyment of other things -- and then you get worried that it will happen again, and that causes more stress. It is sort of a vicious cycle.

But there are things you can do about it:

First, you can think about what you find relaxing, and try to do that before you go to bed. For some people, that is listening to music. For others reading. For some, drinking a tea that does not have caffeine. For some, meditation. Or something else. But you can try to develop a routine of doing something that you find relaxing.

Second, you can minimize or eliminate caffeine -- soda, etc., and also reduce the amount of processed foods and sugar that you eat.

Third, you can think hard about what it is that's causing your stress. Is there something in school -- either academically or socially or otherwise -- that you find stressful? Identifying what causes your stress can help you address it. Be honest with yourself -- what is it that you find stressful?

Fourth, you can learn to accept your stress, so it does not cause the vicious cycle. Some people have a higher stress level than others. That is OK. Some higher stress people actually channel it to be more productive. So it is not all bad. Of course, you don't want it to interfere with your life or your sleep, but try not to make it worse by being stressed about being stressed.

Finally, give it a little time. The beginning of school can be stressful even for a good student. Often, a few weeks into the school year, routine takes over and things get better.

Good luck. High school is a fun time of life. Enjoy!

Thank you so much! I will try to get on a routine and relax. I think it will go away soon.