school

Hey there @brighterhappier - A little bit of stress about school work is normal, but what you have described could a sign that something is not right. It's great you've reached out here though because the good news is there is lots you can do to help yourself cope better with these stressful times. Start by having a read of these - does it any of it sounds familiar to you?
http://au.reachout.com/im-feeling-overwhelmed
http://au.reachout.com/im-always-stressed
http://au.reachout.com/all-about-feeling-anxious

Have you talked to anyone about what you've been experiencing? You don't have to deal with this all on your own. Talking to friends/family can really help - but so can talking to someone outside the situation, you probably have counselors at school or you could try a service like eHeadspace where you can chat online. 

Let us know how you go.

hey @brighterhappier 

how are things?

hey @brighterhappier 

it sounds like you are pretty overwhelmed at the moment. dealing with study and figuring out good ways to time manage assignments can be really hard. especially when you've got other stuff going on in your life too.

sometimes i think the best way to deal with a stressful situation is to just take some time out. why don't you watch a tv show, listen to music or speak to a friend until you feel less stressed and then try and revisit your assignment? if you give yourself a time limit (say 30 minutes) this will help you to let your brain know it's okay to take a break, and that you will come back to what you're doing and finish it later. you just need a little you time first

when you come back to the assignment, maybe you could start by writing a quick plan. i like to break my assignment up into pieces and do some dot points about what i want to cover. when you break something big up into smaller pieces, it can make it heaps more manageable! the dot points also help you to remember what you're trying to say in each bit of the assignment.

is there anyone at your house who might be able to sit with you and help you go through your assignment? what about a friend you could call? i think sometimes even when you can just talk someone through your assignment and what you need to do it helps. it's kind of like brainstorming outloud - and you end up giving yourself ideas about what you can do!

if worst comes to worst and you feel unable to finish it tonight. maybe you could try and get some rest and get up early in the morning to do it? or… you could speak to your teacher tomorrow about what's going on? they might be able to provide you with an extension. it could be worth a shot - right?

when you  have some spare time, you should check out the links below from the RO website. this information might help you to put some strategies in place in the future to cope with stress and time management

building better coping skills
managing your time

even though its hard, remember you can also challenge negative thinking. dwelling on the negatives can sometimes just make us feel worse so its good to sometimes stop and try and reflect on our thought patterns. can you point out something positive you have done while getting ready for this assignment?

you can read more about challenging negativing thinking on the RO website too.

hang in there @brighterhappier - i will look out for your next posts!

lanejane

Hey @brighterhappier - sorry to hear that school is stressing you out so much. Certain subjects might not be your strongest or you might have a learning style that isn't paticularly well suited to a school environment, but that definitely doesn't mean you are stupid - or that you should give up!

There is some good info here on dealing with problems in class and things to think about if you want to drop out. Have a read through them and see if anything sticks out for you. You can also make an appointment with your school counsellor or give Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) a call if you feel overwhelmed.