Hi chips!

Wow, you have certainly done lots of research, and the methods you mentioned are definetly great stress busters.

School can be so stressful. I dropped out in high school when I was 16 because I was just too ill to keep going every day. I have had several diagnoses, Including an anxiety disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and Dissociative Identity Disorder. SO I have definetly dealt with my share of the stress you talk about.



There are ways to get through it, and if you find none of the natural methods to be of much help, then sometimes it is best to try a medication. Effexor XR is VERY good in my experience for anxiety and depression, but I will warn you it can be hard to come off of it when the time comes, if it ever does. For this reason I reccomend staying at the lowest dose possible that works for you. That shouldn't scare you away from taking it because to be honest it saved my life as far as anxiety attacks go. Just something to be aware of and maybe ask about.

And the good thing is if it doesn;t work for you, there is LOTS of other medications you can try too. Sometimes its a manner of trial and error to figure out what works best for you, so also understand it can take a little while.

Tests also stress me out and I usually do badly on them because of it. I'll assume you do the regular things, like study, and keep on top of homework...if you find yourself struggling would it be possible to get a tutor or a study buddy that could help you get through some of the work?

And another thing I suggest to everyone is therapy. If you can get hooked up with a good therapist, all the better. Sometimes just talking it out is enough to make you feel better.

You are certainly dealing with alot of responsibility for your age - I am in awe! I don't know that I could handle the same thing but I congratulate you on chasing your dream of being an engineer. Just try to take it one step at a time, and you will make it.