How should I deal with coursework about sex screwing with my head?

My reading for class is screwing with my head. The sexual feats in myths are making me feel inadequate and Freud is making me feel weird about everything.

College students often face problems like these. Medical students worry they have every disease, philosophy students have existential crises, and literature students start to think its appropriate to describe parts of their lives as Kafkaesque. Doing readings about sex and relationships can have similar affects.

You should work on building up some distance between yourself and the reading you’re doing for class. Keep in mind that what you read isn’t the only point of view and get involved in activities that remind you there’s a real world all around you. Try to mix your reading for class with some pleasure reading.

You should also make friends with some kids from other disciplines who can tell you that the things you are worrying about are stupid and some friends from older classes who can empathize with you and tell you how they got through the same readings.

But if you continue struggling with feelings of inadequacy and confusion, you should also consider finding someone to talk to (like a friend, a parent, a resistant assistant or director, health services, or a therapist) about any deeper issues you could have.

Recommendations: Two general books on relationships and sex for college students.