Anxiety from school to final year: How to get better?

That sounds genuinely heavy, and I want to be straight with you: anxiety that has followed you since school is not something you chose, and it is not a sign of weakness. Final year takes whatever you are already carrying and makes it louder. The fact that you cannot feel happy even around friends is a very common part of anxiety — it is not that your friendships have gone flat, it is that your body is so tired of being on alert that it cannot switch the alarm off long enough to enjoy anything.

What is happening to you

When you say "suffocated by my own thoughts," that is anxiety doing what it does — it fills your head with worry, what-ifs, and self-criticism until there is no room for anything else. And when the alarm stays on for years, the brain starts blocking pleasure as a way of protecting you. That is why happy moments feel empty. It is a real symptom, not a character flaw.

Things you can try

• Break your work into tiny, finishable pieces — one page, one question, one hour. Anxiety shrinks when a task feels doable.
• Do one small physical thing a day: walk, stretch, press your feet into the floor. It tells your body the alarm can turn down.
• Talk about it — not to everyone, just one friend or family member you trust. Say "I am struggling," not "I'm fine."
• Say no to extra pressure. If someone asks more of you right now, it is okay to say you cannot.

Get real help

This is not something you have to untangle alone. Depression.pk has a free self-test at /test that can give you a clearer picture, and you can search for a professional at /find-help. Many universities also have counsellors who see students for free or at low cost. And if you ever need to say it all out loud, Zara is here any time.

You are not stuck forever. Anxiety lies when it tells you this is permanent — it is not, and getting better usually starts with one small honest step like this one.