This past week has been extraordinarily overwhelming in terms of schoolwork. That crushing feeling of disappointment and confusion when you get a failing score on a problem set that you struggled on for hours on and felt so accomplished when you finally figured it out?. Yeah, IT SUCKS. That helpless feeling when no matter how hard you try, your brain refuses to concentrate and process the words you read over and over? It’s HORRIBLE.
I’ve always dealt with stress extremely well; in the past, whenever I struggled with schoolwork, I’d always be even more motivated to work hard and succeed. But lately, things have been really rough and the thought of giving up has more than once crossed my mind. Here are some of the ways I’ve been coping and some tips on dealing with stress and being overwhelmed:
- Push the books aside for a moment: The more stressed you are, the less likely your brain is going to process anything. Just take a break. Do something that makes you happy. Then when you reach a more relaxed state, take a deep breath and go back to studying.
- Drink tea: During high school, I was a coffee fiend. But ever since I’ve been at university, every time I drink coffee, I end up having more anxiety… So I’ve been drinking tea a lot. It’s incredibly soothing and calming and it always makes me feel infinitely better.
- Go to office hours: If you ever feel like no amount of studying will make you understand a certain subject and that’s making you feel like giving up, try going to a professor’s office hours. Most professors/TAs are genuinely interested in your academic success and will try to help you understand the material better.
- Be inspired: When you’re just about ready to give up, try doing something that inspires you. For me, I scroll through quote pages on Pinterest. Some of the quotes are really inspiring and have helped me find strength and motivation. Same thing goes with music. Find your source of inspiration and tap into that whenever you are overwhelmed.
Scrolling through the “quotes” pages on Pinterest is my favorite way of getting inspired
- Give yourself more credit for your abilities: It’s easy to feel like the most stupid person in the world when you get a bad mark or put yourself down for not being more intelligent. It’s so important to praise yourself and not fall victim to self-destructive thoughts. I always remind myself that I’m in one of the universities in the world and taking some of the most rigorous first year classes. And even if that’s not you, struggling academically DOES NOT mean that you are a stupid person.
- Put things into perspective: It’s so so easy to feel like it’s the end of the world when you get a terrible mark. Especially for me since I’m the kind of person who takes grades soooo seriously, haha. But really you have to put things in perspective. First of all, one (or two) bad grades aren’t going to drastically ruin your overall grade. And if it does end up affecting your final grade, a low class grade is probably NOT going to ruin the rest of your life. Let’s be honest.
I started this post a few days ago and I already feel so much better than I did when I began writing this. I’m not saying that you should completely ignore bad marks and have a “who cares” attitude, but you shouldn’t allow bad marks to emotionally destroy you; rather, you should channel your frustration into positive energy and work harder! Everyone is destined to be successful, and overcoming obstacles is just a small part of the road to success! ♥ (wow that was super cheesy)