school is too much for me, what do i do?

i’m constanatly overwhelmed. strategies are in place to help me cope, for example; optional time out of class, a different room for exams.

but the “normal” classroom environment is a very overwhelming experience for me. i’m constantly tired and cry most of the day, especially if someone talks to me. i don’t really know why.

i miss out on a lot of learning because my sensory issues cause me to leave or not attend certain classes. i struggle to catch up in my free time and school feels unbearable. my grades are always high but it has a negative impact on my mental health.

i have noise cancelling headphones but i never wear them at school because i get weird looks and i don’t like attention or people looking at me. walking through the corridors is so horribly loud and visually overwhelming that i feel separated from my body, like i’m floating.

does anyone have advice on what i can do to make things easier? it feels hopeless at this point. 

Parents
  • Hello invisible.  Do you have any idea what sort of environment you would need and can you think of some feasible / realistic ways of achieving that?  

  • in an ideal world, i’d have a teacher and quiet space to work - either by my self or with a few other people who had a similar situation to me or at least aren’t disruptive and want to learn. i wouldn’t have to move between classes, therefore avoiding busy corridors. 

    at the moment, if i take time out from a class and am feeling well enough to do some work, i don’t have a teacher to help me which means i miss out on a lot of the work. 

    my school has a learning support base which offers similar things to what i need, except it is exceptionally loud and busy!! this obviously not help my situation. 

    do you have any suggestions?

  • As I think someone suggested on the other thread, I think using some sort of video conferencing tech would be the way to go so that you can see the lessons and interact remotely but be in a quieter area.  I don't know how feasible that would be though?

    Some gentle and discrete ear plugs might help with deadening the general noise outside of the classroom.

    I suspect I had very similar difficulties to you, plus was constantly bullied etc. In the end I refused to go to school.  That worked out quite well for me in the end though - my local authority paid for me to go to a very small private boarding school for 4 and a half years.  That was in the 1980s though and I suspect that sort of thing wouldn't be an option anymore.  Plus I missed a lot of school time whilst being assessed and the PTBs worked out what they were going to do.  Probably these days I would've also been spotted as being AS then, if not before, rather than finally working it out in my late 40s.

    I'll have a ponder and see if I can think of any more suggestions.

  • It suited me reasonably well.  I went from comprehensive schools of 1500+ pupils to a school with about 300.  Plus the school I went to was a bit "quirky" anyway by the nature of it, so I stood out a lot less like a sore thumb there.  Plus it meant I spent a lot of the year away from home which was quite a good stress reliever for me as well.

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  • It suited me reasonably well.  I went from comprehensive schools of 1500+ pupils to a school with about 300.  Plus the school I went to was a bit "quirky" anyway by the nature of it, so I stood out a lot less like a sore thumb there.  Plus it meant I spent a lot of the year away from home which was quite a good stress reliever for me as well.

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