Today, I’m going to give a few lessons. How exciting to be in front of the metaphorical blackboard!
Health
Have conversations with your body. If it’s telling you that something is wrong, then something probably is, no matter what the doctor said the first time. My turtle syndrome was not correctly diagnosed the first time, so I now have a case of bronchitis and maybe pneumonia as well. No wonder that I’ve been feeling less than snazzy for the past week. I’m now on medication which is working beautifully. The only drawback is my state of constant drowsiness — but it’s far better than my state of constant hacking and wheezing.
Maths (and yes, that “s” is deliberate)
Sickness + (research paper within these two weeks x 4) = upset, stressed-out and overly-emotional child.
I slaved my weekend away and finished one paper which I handed in today. Still three to go — but the plans I’d made for when to do what are in a shambles, and frankly, so am I. With various applications due after my papers, and exams after the applications, asking for extensions wouldn’t help — or so I thought.
Listen to your professors’ advice. This is the best thing I have done all week. One told me I should let my other profs know that I’m ill — this I did. Apparently, I’m in more of a shambles than I thought because I had a mini-breakdown in front of one prof who is even more sick than I am. How incredibly embarrassing.
She gave me a two-week extension on one paper. I wasn’t expecting one, but you know what? It does help. Forget what I said before. Thus enlightened, I asked and was granted a two-day extension on another paper as well. Now no longer excessively emotional, and with realistic timetables once more, I can actually concentrate on getting better faster. It’s very relieving. I may not deserve extensions (because everyone knows you should start working on papers as soon as the assignment is set), but I’m very grateful to my profs for being so kind regardless. I now want very badly to do as well as I possibly can on these papers, to make it up to them.
But to do as well as I can while sleeping a sane number of hours. I never want to feel this overwhelmed again.
One response to “Sick = Bad Bad Bad”