I am beyond stressed?

You just hang in there. Take your final tomorrow and concentrate on that tonight. Your headache is probably from stress, but have you eaten a decent meal today? Had a lot of sugar and junk foods? Will certainly give me headaches. How much sleep have you had recently? Up studying a lot?

Get as much sleep as you can, eat well tomorrow, and take your tests. You'll be fine. You know you can't live tomorrow tonight, so just take life one step at a time.

I don't think you sound like you have OCD, just worried about things. Everybody does that. If they haven't yet, they will if they live long enough.

About your job, why don't you start working on that after your tests tomorrow? Things have a way of working out and most of what you worry about in life never happens anyway. And if it does, it's not usually as big as you had thought it would be. A job will present itself soon, I imagine. Check where you can for a summer job and ask around. Talk to a counselor. Put a smile on when you get scared. Have a little faith and something will turn up and you will be ok. I wish you the best.

I think that sounds very very stressful. It's hard when you're young because you have no money in the bank to get you thru hard times, especially when college expenses are sucking all your income dry.

Can you bum money off mom or dad? A loan, and be SURE you pay at least some of it back? I would worry about the final only for now, so you get a good grade on it, and take some aspirin/tylenol. Take a break and take a hot shower or bath, then go back to studying, a 15 minute break every hour. I don't think it's OCD, it is really stressful having money problems and college worries.

OK here are my stress tips (I have bipolar disorder really bad and am disabled by it, actually, so I have to manage stress really well, HAH!! Like I can do it. But some of these tips are really great).

I just took a stress management class, here are some tips from my handouts:

Identify the stress-is it some life event (like divorce, losing a job, someone dying?) or daily hassles?

Identify your symptoms of stress. Headaches? nausea? shoulder tightness? That way you can nip it in the bud next time.

Prevent stress:

If a situation caused you stress before, prepare for it. Figure out how to avoid it. What I do, is ask for help or start cutting back on what I do, usually both.

schedule meaningful activities-like hobbies, volunteering, art, etc.

schedule time for relaxation-exercise, use a guided imagery tape, meditae, read a novel

Have balance in daily life-too much activity is stressful.

develop a support system-seek out supportive people rather than critical people.

take care of your health-eat well, get enough sleep, exercise, etc.

talk about your feelings or put them in a journal

avoid being hard on yourself. try to be reasonable.

Coping with stress you cannot avoid HERE'S YOU!!!***

talk to others about it.

use relaxation techniques (look at a candle, hot bath, plus what I mentioned above)

use positive self-talk

use humor-watch a comedy, read a funny book

participate in religion (if that applies to you)

exercise

journal

make or listen to music

do or go to see art

play games or do a hobby

My personal tips:

In cold weather, try turning the heat up in the house or dressing much more warmly. It is hard to feel anxiety when you are too warm. I was able to cut out Ativan use altogether by using this trick. Saved me big $$ too, because pills cost way more than heat. Hot baths work too, and in a pinch, like at work/school, you can try running hot water over your hands.

Avoid caffeine like the plague. Also, some cold remedies can cause anxiety. Look for the "agitation in children" warning on the box. Adults can get problems too. I have to say, in your situation, I would be chugging caffeine to get ready for the final, but some people get really bad anxiety from it. Not to mention if you drink a monster cup of caffeinated pop, you can only make it thru 1 1/2 hours of the final before you have to go pee, so you can't finish. Did that a few times!!

Try meditation tapes like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. They may seem silly at first, but they work!! They help reduce stress, which makes depression worse. I made my own, by getting “The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook” (maybe your library has it?) and reading the imageries into a free program I downloaded, called “Audacity.” I can't stand my own voice, so I digitally altered it with the program so I sound like someone else. You could also get a friend to tape it for you.

Go out with friends, and if you don't have any, find a club to join and MAKE yourself go until you actually look forward to it. Isolation makes everything worse. There are nature sound recordings that are really good too.

Exercise at least 1/2 hour a day, and anytime you feel really anxious. Exercise is a great mood stabilizer and cuts down on anxiety a lot.

If your anxiety makes it hard for you to sleep, here are some good "sleep hygeine" tips so you can sleep better. Like go to bed and get up about the same time each day, even weekends. Don't use your bedroom to watch TV and read and use the computer and all that-just use the room as a bedroom normally would be used. Don't do stuff that pumps you up right before bed, like exercising and using the computer. You want to use that last hour to wind down-Take a bath? Make the bedroom really dark, cover up the clock radio, even so the light doesn't shine at you. If you live in the rackety city, use a noise generator (makes wave sounds and the like) or soft music to cover up the city sounds. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

Put a lot of colorful things around the house, happy type things, and keep the blinds open and let the sun in. Get yourself some flowers. Put on some nice clothes. Make a list of things that make you happy. Here's some things on my list: A basket full of fluffy kittens, bread fresh from the oven, fireworks popping on a warm summer evening, the first fireflies of the season, the scent of Jergen's cherry almond lotion, the crisp sound of a saltine cracker breaking, fresh sheets on the bed, standing in the boat and flicking a topwater lure out onto the lake at daybreak, etc. Use all your senses and read that list when you are breaking down.

Work on time management if being overwhelmed and late for things and too much to do is getting to you. Cut back on other responsibilities temporarily so you can spend more restorative time with friends and family.

You got a husband/boyfriend? Extra physical touch is very helpful. Most people in the US or UK are touch deprived, so hold hands more, hug more, give shoulder rubs, etc. A pet is good to cuddle with, too, if your home situation allows you to get one. (I'm an animal lover, don't get one if you can't commit to it for 15 years). If you already have a pet, Fluffy or Spot would really love the extra attention.

Good luck! I hope at least one of these ideas will help you out.

Go to monster.com

They have everything you'll need. You can put in suggestions as to what you are looking for and it'll show all the available options in your area or online. It's pretty cool.

good Luck!!!

hey got the same problem! noone wants to give me a job here and it sucks! but i just sleep in and party alot... that keeps me goin haha