Studying with anxiety problem?

[GlamourGirl]

I'm looking into doing Beauty therapy VRQ course, 2 years 2 evenings a week. I've spent the last 5 years considering it and chickening out every time for different silly reasons like I can't do this, cant do that...

I'm 25 years old now and got an anxiety problem, I really don't want it to stop me doing the course but I feel so nervous about it as I will be observed dealing with people and i'm going to have to be good at it, hopefully the anxiety will ease as the course goes on and if i get so I know what I'm doing confidence should come I hope.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Looking forward to chatting with you all and learning more about something that has always interested me :biggrin:

 

[Petit Basque]

I'm looking into doing Beauty therapy VRQ course, 2 years 2 evenings a week. I've spent the last 5 years considering it and chickening out every time for different silly reasons like I can't do this, cant do that...

I'm 25 years old now and got an anxiety problem, I really don't want it to stop me doing the course but I feel so nervous about it as I will be observed dealing with people and i'm going to have to be good at it, hopefully the anxiety will ease as the course goes on and if i get so I know what I'm doing confidence should come I hope.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Looking forward to chatting with you all and learning more about something that has always interested me :biggrin:

I'm so sorry to hear that you feel this way. My daughter has an anxiety problem and know that it can really hold you back.

I think that whether or not the beauty industry will suit you depends on what sort of anxiety problems you have. If you basically lack confidence then I feel sure that a college course with other students starting off at the same point at you, the support and guidance of your tutor and the opportunity to practice on each other in the safety of your college environment will help you overcome any confidence problems. In my experience, you are not let "loose" on the public until you are ready! There are plenty of practical assessments which you need to pass first and from then on, practice makes pefect.

If, however, your anxiety problems are to do with dealing with people and social situations then perhaps beauty therapy is not for you as there is a huge amount of social interaction called for and you do basically need to "like" people and feel comfortable handling their bodies and bits so to speak.

Have you considered counselling or CBT?? This has helped my daughter in the past develop strategies to cope with her anxieties.

Whatever you do, I wish you all the very best of luck :Love:

PB
x

 

[GlamourGirl]

Hi Petit Basque, thanks for your reply, I haven't had any counselling or CBT, perhaps I could consider that. I do lack confidence and also quite shy when it comes to meeting new people, but I did manage a year working in a very busy city petrol station which is supposed to be one of the worst jobs for people with anxiety! I think it may come down to how much I want to do it, if I really want this I should try to put in the effort and get over any problems I have.

 

[NikiB]

Hi Glamour Girl,
I also have an anxiety disorder and was suffering from severe panic attacks brought on by my previous job, while i was signed off sick i had to sit and take a good look at my life and realised i couldn't go on in my chosen profession as it was making me ill. I have always been interested in complimentary therapy and decided to take the plunge and train as a reflexologist. It was terrifying at first as you will know yourself with anxiety you constantly worry 'what if this happens' or 'what if that happens' but after you have bitten the bullet and gone to your first class its like a weight has been lifted and you have conquered a little something. I go to CBT, i was referred by my GP and i have found it such a big help, its very practical and it totally changes your mind set. Its no quick fix but helps to gradually bring your confidence back. Best of luck with your course and if you have any questions about CBT please feel free to PM me xx

 

[Jonathan c]

I had to retire from Barbering due to panic attacks because of stress from my other businesses, anxiety disorder is a life ruining condition, if you let it.
If you are just nervous or insecure that is a different thing but if it is anxiety disorder I can offer advice by pm about how I overcame it ....eventually.

 

[butterfly :)]

Hi Glamour Girl,
I also have an anxiety disorder and was suffering from severe panic attacks brought on by my previous job, while i was signed off sick i had to sit and take a good look at my life and realised i couldn't go on in my chosen profession as it was making me ill. I have always been interested in complimentary therapy and decided to take the plunge and train as a reflexologist. It was terrifying at first as you will know yourself with anxiety you constantly worry 'what if this happens' or 'what if that happens' but after you have bitten the bullet and gone to your first class its like a weight has been lifted and you have conquered a little something. I go to CBT, i was referred by my GP and i have found it such a big help, its very practical and it totally changes your mind set. Its no quick fix but helps to gradually bring your confidence back. Best of luck with your course and if you have any questions about CBT please feel free to PM me xx

i suffered the same from my last job, it happened when i was off sick too...i was lucky though i was off for a series of nasty chest infections& severe exhaustion and went to the docs often to get fixed lol. i was off for a few monts and developed anxiety and depression, realising this was difficult to accept and admitting it to a doctor is the hardest thing i ever did but im glad i did it, they put me on medication to relieve it and to balance out my hormones and it worked a treat. i ended up back in my job for a few months after and got so fed up and couldnt deal with the thousands of customers i had to serve daily, i booked a course id been putting off for years and left the dead end job, havent looked back since lol. dont suffer from it now,just dont like being in big crowds of people&lots of noise sometimes.this job was a perfect choice for me personally!! sometimes a bad situation is a blessing in disguise, we only push ourselves when things get unbearable . i say go for what you want and dont stop till you get there, its really worth it and very rewarding!! get some help if you need it, its nothing to be ashamed of!! good luck

 

[Lovebeauty14]

Oh I feel for you. I had anxiety problems when I was about 17-18 years old, I had no confidence and no belief in myself whatsoever, considered myself horrendously ugly and wouldn't leave the house without a full face of make up. My Mum ended up booking me on an assertiveness course at the local college. I ended up deciding I needed to do something drastic so I joined up to serve in the Armed Forces as it was the last thing I wanted to do as the basic training consists of no makeup, no nice hair and doing things you thought you weren't capable of doing. It worked for me and now, even though I do have hidden confidence issues, I never let on and I'm good with meeting new people and will happily go without makeup. Obviously joining up isn't a solution for the majority but I think giving throwing yourself in at the deep end however terrifying can be a huge confidence boost as you are suddenly aware of how capable you actually are. It obviously depends on how deep your problems go though, but if you think you are capable, thrust yourself into social situations, It will be terrifying but when you've done it you'll feel so proud of yourself and your confidence will go up. Maybe join a local running group or something. Or anything that involves people.
Good luck which ever way you want to go. Xx

 

[Debs001]

I hate to advocate medication and don't know if this would help, but I had terrible shaky hands and anxiety and I have propanolol (you need to see your GP to prescribe it), my hands steady as a rock now, and it stopped that heart beating faster type of anxiety, I still get knots in my tummy if I'm going to a new client and don't feel confident, but it does make it better. Hth

 

[Red]

Hi Glamourgirl,

I've suffered with anxiety, depression (to the point of self harming and being very suicidal) for the last 15 years....I'm 30 now. I despise myself in every way possible and have zero confidence/self esteem, and am very shy and hate being around anything more than 1 or 2 people....even my closest friends I clam up with of theres more than that. I have been diagnosed with a mental illness I won't bore you with the details of.

However saying all this, I have still, at times attempted to chase my dreams, albeit the confidence always seems to hold me back once I complete whatever course I'm doing. So then I go onto something else. Now it's nails and beauty which I have considered for years (all of my qualifications are creative) and I'm hoping that once I have mastered it, that I will be able to see I am good at it and hence have the confidence to take it further and be successful in it.

It's tough, really tough. And I completely empathise with you. I have just started my 5 day CND course and my main worry (other than being crap at it) is not being able to remember things. When my mental health is at it's lowest my memory is shocking. I can't even remember conversations, never mind facts and details such as what order to prep a nail in. But I shall preservere and read and read and read and hopefully I'll get there.

So that's my story. Take your dream with both hands and run with it. As hard and as scary as it might seem now, you ever know, you may find you can deal with it better than you think and the anxiety might ease a little. You may get a sense of achievement out of it which would also give you a boost. This could be something you are really good at and your breakthrough for battling your anxiety. It could be all the medication you need. For myself, I hope that being successful in something would be one area of my life I feel less of a failure at.

Also, I'd definitely recommend going to your GP and requesting some CBT. That will give you the coping mechanisms in order to deal with it and help battle your negative thinking. Also, if your open for medication, there are lots of meds that can help with anxiety, Citralopram being one of them. Particularly if your problems are due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Big amounts of good luck for you. PM me if you wanna chat. Do whatever you feel comfortable with at the end of the day. But you never know what doors the course could open for you....it could help you in so many ways

Red xxx

 

[pinkgirlie]

I can relate so much to the above! I go silent in crowds and feel like I'm shaking. If I try and talk then nonsense comes out and I feel stupid! I too have bouts of depression, and have done since I was 14. And have self image trouble. However, beauty therapy training is the best thing I have ever done! I'm very scared and have days when I think I just can't do it, tears the lot. But I keep going, people are booking me. It will only take one bad comment for me to fall, and will have to work up again.

But, before doing beauty I was nothing, now I'm something. X

 

[Jonathan c]

The truth about anxiety attack is you do it to yourself! HonestlyYou will be in the crowded room and feel clammy..then you think here we go i am going to have an attack..then you may feel giddy, shaky and feel the need to get out..its a massive adrenalin rush that is totally out of proportion to the event.
That is why you shake, the same as if you are furious or in an agressive situation, its a fight or flee reaction that feels so horrible. Yet once you realise that you just think yourself into these attacks you can control them. Taking deep breaths, expelling the negative thoughts. The thing about anxiety attacks is if you just avoid every situation where it might occur, over a few years they invade more and more of your life. Anxiety attacks and agoraphobia are the same condition. Dont let it control you, face it ...read about it... talk to others or get counseling, in any case once you realize that this is self inflicted by negative thoughts you WILL start to recover! Takes time though, good luck all!

 

[simsarahlou]

i also suffer with panic attacks and anxiety. i have had group and individual cbt. dont put off studying anymore. with most anxiety its often the thought of it that can be worse than actually doing it. once youve had your first few classes you can start to settle in. it might not be easy but think how proud you will be of yourself when you finally get that certificate in your hand! and this forum truely is a godsend. whether your feeling dishearted, incompetent or anxious about anything, us fellow geeks are here to encourage you. and think of all the new friends you can make in this sort of industry. just dont put pressure on yourself, take one step at a time.
i have been a beauty therapist for ten years and have now gone mobile. i was really struggling to go ahead and make the decision to just go for it. thinking what if im not good enough , what if no one likes me, what if i get a panick attack. well here i am several months later and ive never enjoyed my life more. every ones individual situation is always different but please dont think that you cant be part of this industry because of your anxiety, in fact if you use the search option on here you will find many posts about the same thing, many of us on here have suffered with it.
i hope whatever you decide that you are happy and feel free to pm me if you like.
take care, im sure the other geeks will give you great advice. sorry side affect of my condition...rambling on! lol

 

[tonicj]

Hi everyone.

I was reading a magazine recently and there was a piece on Cameron Diaz. She said:

"The trick to life is to learn to love change. Life is not a happy ending. You never arrive at a point where nothing ever changes or happens again". And here, she looks to the ocean to illustrate her point. She says she is a visual person and when she thinks of a challenge or change, she will envisage herself in the ocean and will see waves coming at her, and know the if she just dives under the wave, she will shoot out the other side. So she will look at that big wave, and say, "I can do this". I will dive under and trust that I will get through it, and I know that it will be so much better on the other side. There are many rewards waiting there; you just have to go for it".

I found this to be so inspiring and thought I would share it with you all.
xx

 

[GlamourGirl]

Thanks everyone, if the people on the course are as nice as you I would have nothing to worry about, you're all so understanding and have made me feel better. To get on the course in September I have to do an introductory 8 week one that starts end of this month, if i decide to go I will update on here with how I go on