Schoolwork

[VioletHaze_03]

I am in a bit of a rough situation right now, so i'm wondering if anyone can offer some advice. Schoolwork was always a bit tough for me. I would look at my assignment and hit a mental wall. It's really overwhelming, and my mind just shuts down. If it was supposed to be done in class, i'd just stare at the paper until class was over. My parents are getting increasingly more annoyed with me because from the outside, it looks like i'm just being lazy and manipulative. Most of the time they complete more of my schoolwork than i do. I can only do simple, easy assignments and even then i can get easily distracted and have trouble getting back on track. i don't know what to do here and i feel like i'm going to fail if my parents don't keep supporting me.

 

[Judge]

What level of education are you referring to?

Beginning college or finishing high school?

 

[VioletHaze_03]

What level of education are you referring to?

Beginning college or finishing high school?

Last year of high school. It's a stressful one.

 

[pjcnet]

There's no easy solution and I'm don't know the specific details of your assignments or even if this is possible, but try to break the assignment down into small parts, firstly think what do you need to do to start the assignment and concentrate on just that rather than being overwhelmed by the whole thing, then when that's done concentrate on the next small part. If you still can't start then look online to see what other people have written about the subject, you shouldn't copy them, but they could give you the inspiration that you need to start your own work (obviously you can only do this at home and not in class).

If you are unable to do the above I would suggest speaking to your teacher about it politely, any reasonable teacher should do their best to help you without holding it against you. If you feel comfortable you could also ask your parents for help or perhaps even other students (if they're sensible and as long as you don't just copy them), even if your parents don't understand your assignment they might still be-able to help you get other support.

 

[Judge]

Last year of high school. It's a stressful one.

Indeed.

The good news: You've gotten past three grades and are on your last hurdle.

The bad news: That last hurdle counts the most, to formally graduate.

Perhaps it might be helpful for you to give some thought on why you are experiencing a mental block of this type. That there may be something that is preoccupying your mind, making it difficult to focus on anything else at the present. Maybe you just need to get past that, whatever it might be.

Then again if you are just sensing what I call "education burn-out", that can be more complicated given you aren't past high school yet. Something I experienced after I graduated from college. When I got to a point where I simply couldn't do any of it anymore. Where I discovered that I needed to work rather than get any further education. As if I became "allergic" to studying itself.

I just don't sense this could be anything pathological like some type of learning disorder. Although there are tests one can take to get an idea of whether or not you need to pursue such a thing with a medical professional, which of course I am not.

I just know firsthand what it's like to "run into a brick wall" in the learning process itself. Sometimes it can be very temporary, and other times not so much.

 

[Tom]

Last year of HS is stressful. It sounds like the issue is focus. Mentally setting all else aside and concentrating upon the task at hand. If it helps think about the quicker started the quicker done.

 

[Nervous Rex]

Perhaps the problem isn't understanding your school work, but understanding VioletHaze_03.

I spent a lot of time trying to just sit down and work like everyone else - and getting more and more frustrated when I couldn't. When I finally realized that I'm not like everyone else (not better, not worse, just different), I realized that what works for them may not work for me.

That gave me the freedom to start trying different things. Sometimes the answer is music or some other mild distraction to keep my mind stimulated while I do "boring stuff." Sometimes the answer is food, caffeine, or a walk to separate myself from the problem for a bit. Sometimes the answer is to talk out loud about the problem to a friend - by the time I've finished explaining everything, I know the solution. Sometimes I have to fix something else that frustrates me so I don't start a new task feeling frustrated. Sometimes the answer is just to get started - pick one small thing and do it, then do the next smallest thing, then the next, until I'm involved enough to stop worrying about the fact that I can't do it, and I just do it.

Two days ago, I realized that the reason I was avoiding a certain task was that I didn't know enough about the system to even know how to start the task, so I made my task "learn the system." I spent a day studying it, and am now plowing through the task like it was never a problem.

What works for me might not work for you. But if what you're doing right now isn't working, then just start trying different things and find out what does work for you.

 

[Nikolas Di Domenico]

I suggest taking a 10-15 min break every hour.

 

[VioletHaze_03]

I suggest taking a 10-15 min break every hour.

breaks don't work for me. The more i take, the less focused i become. Most of the time, i can't even start my work because i am so distracted.

 

[Judge]

breaks don't work for me. The more i take, the less focused i become. Most of the time, i can't even start my work because i am so distracted.

What in particular distracts you in real-time? Just wondering.

Where is your mind going at such times when you need to be focused elsewhere?

 

[VioletHaze_03]

What in particular distracts you in real-time? Just wondering.

Where is your mind going at such times when you need to be focused elsewhere?

Usually my interests and hobbies. If no one is there to walk me through doing my work, i just randomly look through stuff related to my interests.

 

[OlLiE]

i distracted myself by listing to music through headphones, the rhythm kept me engaged and the volume blocked out the distractions, it helped me focus a lot.

i use it to work and do anything else i find stressful

i collect all the paperwork/admin i don't want to do, pick a day, make a playlist and just get it done.

half the time i realise that my resistance to the task was based on an irrational fear of difficulty and failure and that when i'm done that it wasn't half as hard as i'd hyped it to be

 

[Mia]

Maybe consider the hobbies and interests as a reward for finishing work? Create an atmosphere of quiet, no distractions, set yourself up in a room with a door you can close, and using ear protectors do the work.
I found it hard to do homework at home, because there was noise from siblings and other distractions. What I did at college, was do the assignments in the quiet of the library. Where there were few things that I could do but that.
The work itself, was mainly memorization and papers for final marks and the study was for tests. Didn't mind it that much, but it was a repeat of the classes, and I wasn't learning anything new. Just going over old stuff so I could review it for exams. Not fun, but necessary.