[sunrise888]

I recently changed my major to Sociology and now require to write on a regular basis.

Everytime I have to write something, I get anxious and feel very stressed. My head starts pounding and I feel overwhelmed by all the information out there. It doesn't have to be essays, it can be ANYTHING that involves writing and marks.

I have tried getting help from the counsellors at my school but nothing they say seems to help.

I know that writing is a major way of organizing your thoughts and not being to do so makes me feel really stupid and incompetent. I feel like a failure and that I will never be able to pursuit any type of higher education.

Any tips?

[SilverNeurotic]

The only thing I can think of is force yourself to write something everyday, preferably something NOT school related.

[Hiberna55]

i feel your pain, for the longest time i've had bad anxiety with homework in general and not just anxiety with papers. no matter how much i want to start my work or finish it, it just wont go away, so i told my pdoc and she gave me something to ease the anxiety to the point where i could actually sit down and do my work. and i also agree with the previous reply, just sit down and wright what you can. before my pdoc gave me the med for anxiety and i had to write a paper, i would write a few sentences, then stop, walk around a bit, and try and write some more. i also tried doing things that would relax me, such as reading something fun on the internet.

First and foremost, get rid of the negative chatter. You are not stupid, incompetent or a failure. Banish those words forever when thinking about yourself.

Approach writing systematically. What are the points I want to present? In what order should they be presented? Often it helps to start with a short statement of the topic you will be discussing. Generally ending with a short summary to conclude the writing is helpful.

There are articles online that have tips on writing. The main thing is to start. You can always fine tune and eliminate deadwood and duplication. Good luck.