To walk put of lecture

[shouldnthavesaid]

There's about 300 peoppe here. I can't do it.

In a blind panic

Are you meant to be giving the lecture?

Oh no. Im just a student

Can you sit near the door. It sometimes helps if you feel that you can escape if you need to.

Most universities have counselling services that can help. Speak to your student advisor about this quickly, before it affects your work, and refer yourself for some extra help.

Can you handle it better if you sit in the very back?

Remember no one is looking at you, they are all thinking about themselves.

If there are 300 people, just take a seat, sit back, and listen.

You will be invisible.

Just keep telling yourself you don't have to do anything but sit there.

I hope you're ok. Focus on something, touch something and your breathing (trying not to sound patronising).

Im front row by door by my friebd. On counselling waiting list

If you're in the audience, go for it.

If you're about to deliver the lecture, then you are probably being unreasonable, unless you've been strong-armed into giving a lecture that you don't know much about, and therefore shouldn't be giving.

If it is your subject, you might find that the nerves vanish once you take the microphone.

Good luck

What can't you do? You just have to sit there and note down some words they say. It will be fine.

Nip out and have a breather, then see if you can get a seat on an end. Or stand near the exit, so you don't feel trapped. The lecture may be available on your uni network if you need to leave.
Small steps, it is overwhelming at first.
Talk to student counselling services about support.

Deep breaths, do you have something you can focus on for a bit in order to blend out all the people (that are clearly causing you a distress reaction)?

A pen to twiddle, a window you can look out of, study the backs of your hands?

Waaay too slow at typing!

Best spot to have chosen, no crowd in front of you, by the door. It's always noisy when people are settling, then calms down.

Mu heart keeps missing beats :(

I'm listening as much as I can. All notes online

Just too many people

Jot down stuff on a pad. Anything. Like It was cold this morning, or I like cake or The wall is yellow. You can do it, and when it is over go treat yourself for your achievement. You got this

focus on a rectangle in the room like a door window or whiteboard, your book or buspass or whatever. Follow long edge with your eyes as you breathe out slowly, follow short edge as you breathe in slowly, keep going round the rectangle breathing slowly with longer exhalation until you feel calm.

I had this at uni.
Things that really really help are CBT and propanolol.
I know it feels very uncomfortable right now but you are not in any danger, you are safe in the lecture theatre.

I fully sympathise. I did a degree and a masters with severe anxiety disorder and lectures were hell. I'd advise getting there early and sitting near the door if you can. I used to sit at the end of a row and if people wanted me to move, I just stood up and let them go down the row and said I'm a little claustrophobic is it OK if I sit on the end?

Part of my fear was the feeling that I couldn't leave if I needed to once the lecture was in flow, but there were two doors usually so I sat near the least conspicuous one. Lots of people leave for the toilet.

Wear something cool and try and breathe deeply. Take rescue remedy. Have an escape plan. You can do it!

I know how this sounds but I used to walk out, take a deep breath and walk in again. Walking out showed me I could leave at any time, and thats all I needed to know to be able to deal with it.

when I'm struggling with crowds I look at all of the space above their heads. I might look a bit crackers doing that, but it helps to realise there is a huge amount of space in the room that doesn't have people in it.

You will be fine.

You can leave anytime you want to.

But you don't want to. You want to stay. You want to hear the lecture. Think positively - you are choosing to hear the lecture.

Close your eyes or doodle, whatever relaxes you most.

Think yourself calm. You are calm. You are listening to the lecture.

Hope you're OK.
I used to doodle all down the margins of my notes, like an illustrated manuscript.

But remember - if you really need to leave you can. Nobody will mind. I'm sure people get up and go to the loo. You can get up and go outside and breathe for a bit, once you're out you don't need to go back.

When you say you're on the counselling waiting list, is that actually through the Student Counselling Service, or the GP? The SCS was instant for me, no waiting list. They also let me have as many sessions as I wanted, despite officially having a six session limit.

I would also definitely see your GP about some medication though, if you haven't already. You don't need to just live with this level of anxiety.