Anxiety, annoying people, and a long trip

[Minerva]

I'm going on an 11 hour drive for school on Thursday. And then an 11 hour drive back after the weekend long trip is done.

I also suffer from severe anxiety, to the point of suffering a major attack about every other week and smaller attacks about every day.

Today the teacher gave the car assignments. I asked her to be placed in the car with the two other upperclassmen, two people I know incredibly well, and can talk with easily. Two people that I get along with, and help with my anxiety. We talked over how it made sense for the car placements: Juniors and seniors together, Sophomores and Freshmen together.

Well, today we got the car placements. I am in a car with two people I barely know, and a kid who... let's say his social skills are... rusty. He doesn't take hints, he tries to hit on all the girls, and he's not good at holding conversation among other things. He annoys everyone, but, we try to be nice to him, because we're all good people.

However, besides stress and anxiety, I also have some self-control issues. This kid stresses me out, and I just smile and bear it. But I'm afraid that I will eventually reach a breaking point and snap.

I'm already incredibly stressed for this trip, and the two older kids will help me not to be as stressed. We planned to play some Pokemon and watch some movies. Stuff like that that will keep my mind off of what might stress me out.

I've talked to the teacher to change the placements, but she says they're staying that way. I've told her about my stress issues and she just told me that only I can control my anxiety, which, as several people have said, is untrue.

I have no access to anti-anxiety medicine, only Adderall, which I take daily. Others have also protested the car placements, saying the Freshman-Sophomore/Junior-Senior split makes the most sense.

Advice?

 

[Esmeray]

The fact that your teacher isnt taking your medical condition seriously is a HUGE no no. I would go above her and talk to her boss instead. I'm not sure if this is high school or college, but I'm assuming college. What you need to do is get a doctors note immediately about the specific condition and then take it to the dean. If they continue to refuse accommodation you can sue them. Sometimes getting mad and threatening to take legal actions will change someones tune real quick.

A less aggressive way to handle this would to just not get mad but talk to the dean anyways. Itll go a lot easier with a doctors note though.

If you're out of luck with that then I guess you're gonna have to make it REAL apparent you are not in the mood to converse, and the easiest way to do that is with head phones! Just plug those suckers in and when he tries to touch you give him a look and say "I'm not in the mood to talk. Also please don't touch me."

Channel your inner resting bitch face. I believe in you.

Yeah I have don't have any advice asides from that. Even that advice wasn't very good. Being nasty towards the guy will make everyone else uncomfortable, so I actually wouldn't do that.

Honestly I think the movies will be best because he will be focused on what's going on in the movie rather than trying to talk to you. You could also have it so you are not sitting next to him. Having someone sitting between you guys will kinda help keeping him from talking to you as much.

 

[Minerva]

The fact that your teacher isnt taking your medical condition seriously is a HUGE no no. I would go above her and talk to her boss instead. I'm not sure if this is high school or college, but I'm assuming college. What you need to do is get a doctors note immediately about the specific condition and then take it to the dean. If they continue to refuse accommodation you can sue them.

High-school. And she was my seventh grade teacher who I've had for drama for a few years.

Edit: I'm also not interested in taking this to court. The school would close completely, it's so small. Also, I talked to my mother who's good friends with the teacher to ask her, and the teacher said that since we'd be leaving at 7:00 AM, then we'll probably be asleep or listening to music.

It's not something I'm interested in taking further, anyway. I just want to deal with the annoying kid for 11 hours without killing someone.

 

[Esmeray]

High-school. And she was my seventh grade teacher who I've had for drama for a few years.

You need to find the schools activities director and talk to them. They are in charge of all the schools activities so what they say go. If they give issues then I would talk to the vice principal then? I'm not sure.

 

[Minerva]

You need to find the schools activities director and talk to them. They are in charge of all the schools activities so what they say go. If they give issues then I would talk to the vice principal then? I'm not sure.

It's not something I'm interested in taking further, anyway. I recently only started seeing a therapist again the other day, and to my knowledge, the anxiety's not really in any official records like my ADHD is. I just want to deal with the annoying kid for 11 hours without killing someone.

My mom talked to the teacher about it, and I said I wouldn't protest the answer, and the answer was no change, so...

 

[Kestrel]

Take it a level higher. I agree with Vio.

You're a kid to your teacher. This makes it easier to dismiss you. However when you change the power dynamic the same argument may carry a lot more weight.

Parents talking to teachers are, I am terribly sorry, a half assed solution because parents are expected to take the side of their children.

I understand confrontation might scare you, but if you don't put your foot down people will walk over you. If talking up to a higher up won't help, I would plain refuse to go on the trip if I were you. Which I am not, obviously, but doing something you clearly object to because of your teacher will probably result in either confirming their bias, a panic attack, or both. None sounds like a desirable outcome to me.