Strange anxiety affecting schoolwork

Hi! I'm currently attending a university and want my school work to be my main focus.

I haven't had any trouble in the past with difficulty with class material. I usually catch on to what's being taught pretty quick, and I love learning so much that I often study new skills related to my major. I'm well focused on my future.

However, I've had this terrible anxiety issue the last couple of years that's seriously affecting my work.

When I'm in class, I usually feel okay, but as the semester goes on, I feel very drained. It feels like a social anxiety, in a way. Going out and being surrounded by the other students seems to make me increasingly nervous. Some days I feel so awful that I feel very panicked and miss the class. I then send a message to my instructor that I missed the day and study the lecture notes, but then have an anxiety, albeit lesser, over missing the class, but I'm sure that's normal. Especially since I feel a lot of guilt for missing the class.

Missing classes doesn't usually affect my schoolwork, since I study well to make up for it and copy lecture notes from online or another student.

What is affecting me badly is that I have the same difficult anxiety doing my homework! I have a hard time fighting past it to start on homework. Sometimes I can't even bring myself to do my homework at all during the period I have to work on it. It must be strange for a teacher to see a list of well-graded homework (usually As) and a few 0s mixed in.

When I actually can fight past it and do the homework, I usually do well on it. So, I don't have a fear of understanding the material, I think.

I did very well in school growing up. I did happen to have parents who pushed for good grades, and chewed me out if I got bad ones.

I don't know what this anxiety is, but I used to get by with it. However, it's affecting me earlier and earlier in the semester as time goes on. Now, it's already affecting me!

It's a really awful anxiety. It prompted me to almost have a full-blown panic attack on the way to school once, but I managed to pull over and calm myself down since I didn't want that to happen while driving, for safety reasons.

Thanks for reading! Has anyone else had this? Advice would be appreciated.

Does it help to sometimes get away from campus when you have spare time, and give yourself "breathing room"?

Hm, I do spend a lot of time away from campus, but schoolwork's always on my mind. You know, I think my anxiety began around the time I stopped doing a lot of my hobbies... Maybe that's the problem.

Years ago, when I went to nursing school, I had daily panics, but I did well academically, and was seen by others as "calm"---I had had previous bouts of absolute terror lasting hours.....
I think doing your hobbies, at least picking one, would help a lot. Aerobics, and sewing helped me---I knew, even in the midst of fear that there were calmer times...
I realized that the re-onset of my anxiety was actually a response to something --- again, I had chosen to do something that the person I wanted encouragement from did not support...

I used to get terrible anxiety attacks in college. i would have to sit by the door in case i had to run out of the room which i actually did one time. i mistakenly ran into the mens room too!!!how embarassing!!!

It's a balance to go to school, work (if you work part time or full), and have a life. Myself? I've had to let a few of my hobbies go and focus on the stuff I really want to do or participate in. But all school and work makes me stressed and unhappy and it's nice to give yourself a break every now and then.

I used to have some really calming hobbies that I've left to the wayside now... Maybe I should really focus on picking some up again, maybe one at a time.

Yes, d this. Start with one hobby that allows you to relax and take your mind off anxiety and stress. Allow it to actually distract you and feel refreshed.

Do you find difficulty in completing your homework even of your favorite subjects?

I can relate to this, even if I'm only in high school..

You can do it