Playing The Sims 4 Gives Me Anxiety Now

Being anxious about going to uni is natural and common and does not mean you are failing at life, sweetie.

I'm sure you will get the opportunity to visit different universities and have a look at the student dorms and see what everything is like before deciding to start. But talk it over with your mum/dad or whoever you live with, tell them about your anxiety.

Maybe if you can start to feel better about it then you can also enjoy the sims again xx

"shorty943p;c-17381836" wrote:
Oh that foolish "College Education" thing.
Get the sim on the phone, get them a job as a "Manual Labourer".
Work a few hours a week mowing lawns or gardening for $45 an hour and no more annoying University advertising.

Real Life is proving the world already has enough Barista's with a PHD anyway.

That is such a heartbreaking, cold hard fact. :s

This may be a stretch, but try looking into mods that disable certain pop ups. The best thing, though, is to just close it and continue playing the game. Sims aren’t better having gone to university and you can prove that to yourself by playing one who has the option to go but chooses not to.

Hey, I just want to say that I understand how you feel 100%. I have really bad anxiety too and was also one of the "gifted" kids. Well, due to an eating disorder, horrible anxiety, OCD, and depression I ended up dropping out of high school and getting my high school equivalency diploma. I went through that thing where anything school related would trigger my anxiety and make me feel like a failure. I even tried to go to college when I was 17 and dropped out on the second day!

But remember, the school system, (especially in America, I'm not sure where you're from,) is mostly complete garbage that's only there to teach you to be obedient rather than be a well rounded, intelligent, and creative person. Going to college actually doesn't make you any smarter, either. You can learn anything you want on your own with a free library card. I just want you to know that you can live a perfectly happy life without going to college. There are so many ways you can get by in this world. I'm still figuring it out, too, but I'm really happy where I am 4 years after dropping out. I'm getting married, so that's something I never thought would ever happen! Life is full of surprises and you will have wonderful times ahead of you no matter what path you choose. :)

If university came out when I was in a more vulnerable place, I wouldn't have been able to play it without freaking out. It still makes me anxious sometimes, though. If I'm being honest I 100% bought that expansion for the clothes haha.

I know the pop up is really hard to ignore, but maybe try to tell yourself that your sims are going to educate themselves and work their own way up in the world. You can think of it as an act of brave rebellion against societal norms on your sims part. They can start living life and having fun instead of having to do homework for 4 weeks. Your sims will be no worse off and they will probably be healthier and happier in the long run. Honestly, they could probably make it really high in their career in the time it takes to finish university anyway. Plus they'd have so much more time to live life.

I really hope you can get back into sims and that you can find it relaxing again. Sims is my escape, too, so I feel really bad that it's stressing you out. Maybe try playing a kind of hippie, off the grid sim that lives in a tiny home and doesn't care about making money and being traditionally successful. Maybe they could fish for a living or sell collectables. :)

Side note: this is why Island Living is one of my favorite expansions. It's so chill and the island lifestyle is so relaxing for my anxiety. If you don't have that one I highly recommend :D

If you must, try using the cheat that allows Sims to get their degree automatically. I believe you can look up the cheat code on the internet or Sim related sites.

^Island living is one of my favs too for that reason. I finished high school but not college, I couldn't take it anymore and I also did very well in school, everyone figured I'd go to college but I didn't do well cuz I loved it, it was because I was anxious about the disapproval I'd get if I didn't. I couldn't imagine having to turn in an assignment late or failing it. I don't actually have anxiety that I know of, though some family do, but I get very mildly triggered about stuff like this pop up for sure

I did take some college but dropped out when I found a job I liked.

I've decided the pop up is so hard to ignore because of the wording. I wish instead of saying that the sims "should be looking at further education" or however it's worded, it just said "Your sim is now a young adult, if you want, they can go to university" or something like that. I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but for me, that wording would help a lot with me not feeling like I let them down by not sending them.

When I do play I play off campus, but it's just not the pack for me game play wise. I am glad I have it for build and bikes and soccer balls, but I really wish I waited for a sale or bundle.

I have autism as well. <3 And I also hate that popup. <3 It really hits you hard in the face and it's so big, takes up the whole screen. I often feel compelled to send my Sims to University, maybe because I personally wasn't able to complete my education, and then I often regret it, but I can't drop out, because I did that already in real life. And the popup drives me nuts as a rotational player, but sometimes I find it hilarious if I just dropped millions in their bank account to build a beach house so they don't ever have to work and can just become mermaids and then they get the popup lol.

I know it's hard, autism and autism related anxiety isn't like anything you can ignore or turn off and it makes me sad that this feature can't be turned off for you. I think because so many people find the pop up annoying, maybe a mod will come out soon to remove it. I'm a rotational player, and I've noticed not all the Sims get the popup. Maybe someone will figure out what creates the popup so you can do something to avoid it. In the meantime, If you end up feeling like your brain forced you to enroll because of the annoying popup and now you find your Sim in University, I think you should also explore new ways of playing to make it a more fun family-oriented experience and create your own unique University experience that you love. This is what I do.

The University takes too long for how I like to play and it definitely sends my anxiety through the roof, so just once in a while I will send a Sim. I tried the dorm gameplay and I didn't really like it. I prefer to keep them home and head out to the campus on the weekend or an evening here and there. And I have also renovated that one empty house so it is a nice cute home and I sometimes keep a Sim there alone or bring their family with them or allow one roomate. Right now, I forget about the dorm completely. In real life, a YA might get stuck in a dorm, but that's no reason my Sim can't live in luxury and with a full stove to cook on. The past few days I've started taking my Sim's family everywhere on campus and having a lot of fun. While the University clubs do their thing, my toddlers and kids run around throwing paint, playing or have water balloon fights in the field. I've had some fun getting free food from the cafeteria for my kids and I let them tag along while my Sim studies or tutors. I have my kids wander around in pajamas and do their homework while I study. And I give the Sims only 3 classes, some of them I only give 2 classes if they have a big family. Since I started taking my whole family to the University campus with me, I'm having way more fun. The other thing you can do is just use the testing cheat to add a degree and avoid the whole experience altogether lol. And the great thing is that you will always get a distinguished degree this way. Of course, you have to be okay with using the testing cheats. I did this for Mortimer Goth. I just couldn't imagine him at a campus, but he just felt like he should have a distinguished science degree. I really hope you can figure out a way to enjoy playing again.

Also, to reply to what @SimAlexandria said about the wording, I definitely agree.
I think it's also a problem with school for kids in the game. Like when they have a C and they come home from school they get a pop up that says something like "No need to make room on the refrigerator door, blank's work is merely satisfactory." There's other text that says things like that, too. It used to bother me a lot but now I'm so used to it that I barely notice it because I close the notifications so fast out of muscle memory. Kinda tempted to use MCCC to allow kids and teens to quit school and just roleplay them as home schooled and reject school altogether...

In Sims 3, my sims would often get the "enroll in university" wish... I'd always just delete it! lol So this popup doesn't really bother me personally... I never send my first generation sims to college because I enjoy seeing them work their way up the ladder. Their kids, however, almost always end up going to college.

Not only does it allow me to have a realistic middle class family gameplay, but it also prevents me from getting too bored with the game too quickly. If I don't send my first generation sims to college, it allows me to add something new for the next generation's story.

In real life, not everyone goes to college... and it's for multiple reasons. Some people just don't want to (which is 100% valid). Others just can't afford the time (or money) to do it. Others just have their own personal reasons. All completely valid! :smile: Besides, many people who do go to college sometimes end up working a "normal" job anyway because the field they studied lacks opportunities... and this, sadly, happens a lot...

Don't feel bad about not wanting to send your sims to university. It's more realistic this way!

I understand your dilemma. I have depression and there are things I avoid so I don't trigger a bigger episode than I may have anyway. (I take meds that help a great deal, but there are still things I feel the need to avoid.) In the end you are the best judge of what you need for your health. The idea of a mod would be a good one, if it exists. The other thing I can think of is to play adults that are not likely to get the pop-up. Stop aging or set it to long lifespan and you can play the adult life stage long enough for it to be both YA and adult. It may not be your normal method of play, but it would allow you to play without the anxiety.