Well, I'm beating myself up today.

Old 01-27-2009, 01:29 PM
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Unhappy Well, I'm beating myself up today.

Someone tell me to put the big stick down. If you have any suggestions for these panic episodes my brain keeps having, that would be appreciated too. Sigh.

I pulled 13 credit hours last semester, all online. You have got to be disciplined in the first place to do online classes. That was 5 classes too. I have come a long ways in overcoming the old tapes in my head and letting go of that damnable perfectionism I drug around most of my life. It was always the all or nothing attitude.

There were two classes I struggled with in particular, and to be honest, I was perfectly okay with a C in both classes. I still came out with a 3.22 GPA.

I'm pulling 13 hours again, 2 of those being 4 credit hour classes. This semester one of my classes is Legal Aspects of Health Information. I take extensive notes in all my classes because it helps me retain. That is not working for this class. I bombed my first chapter test with a 77%.

There are all these legal Latin terms to memorize. As soon as I start reading and taking notes, my head starts to panic.

I'm on the verge of tears today. I realize there are going to be classes I enjoy more than others. This is a required class, and it's not that I hate it. I'm trying to do the best that I can. I just don't know what I can do different. I am not absorbing it at all.

I need a hug on top of everything else. I don't have a meeting until tomorrow night to attend where I can get hugs. Sigh.
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:35 PM
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I know when I went to college @ OSU there were some classes that I had to just allow myself to "get by". Chemistry being one of them. I hated it, though it was required. I just studied as hard as I could and did my best. A 3.22 is an admirable GPA - especially for college. And a 77% on a test is not BOMBING!

Quit being so hard on yourself, college is hard work! Hang in there and hugs to you.
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:46 PM
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Sending you giant hugs! You know you will get thru it, but sounds like this is going to be "one of those" classes! It's so hard when the memory stick is not cooperating

A suggestion for your spinning brain: I learned in an Insight Meditation class this past year to stop and breathe - of course. This meditation is about the now and not necessarily emptying the mind. Focus on your belly going in and out. Focus on the breath and what it feels like at the tip of your nostrils while breathing in then breathing out. Does it feel cool? Warm? How does the waist of your pants feel against your abdomen while the breath goes in, then out? Notice if you breathe fast or slow, shallow or deep. Let your body breathe the way it wants to, don't control it. Don't focus on everything at once, just each sensation seperately. Get the idea? It's not to empty the mind so much as to give it a rest and slow it down. Maybe it will work for you. Sit up straight, close your eyes, don't cross your arms or legs and take a few minutes.

Good luck! (((hugs)))
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:46 PM
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Devon...:ghug3
yes, I agree with Callie, don't be too hard on yourself...I admire you so much for what you have taken on and you can only 'do your best', right?
Do you think maybe you could buddy up with a study partner online?
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Callie View Post
I know when I went to college @ OSU there were some classes that I had to just allow myself to "get by". Chemistry being one of them. I hated it, though it was required. I just studied as hard as I could and did my best. A 3.22 is an admirable GPA - especially for college. And a 77% on a test is not BOMBING!

Quit being so hard on yourself, college is hard work! Hang in there and hugs to you.
I think this is going to be one of those 'get by' classes for me too. I can identify with the chemistry because I really struggled with that in high school!

I need to contact the instructor because I'm creating more anxiety for myself as I do not know what her grading scale is. Every other instructor has included the grading scale in the class syllabus, and for most of them the cut-off for each grade has been high (like 94% and up for an A). That's where I start sweating. I know two of these classes have the more standard 90-100% for an A, etc, but this one isn't one of them.

I hate days where I get all up in my head and anxious. Thanks for the hugs-I needed that.

Youngest AD just called me on the way home from her orthodontist's appt. (35 miles away) and she had to cancel going back to work because her car is blowing oil all over under the hood.

I need to get myself calmed down before she gets home because she's going to be stressed to the max. I was proud of her because she finally made a doctor's appointment and got back on Lexipro yesterday. She was on it about 4 years ago and it made a world of difference in her anxiety level, but she couldn't see the difference in herself and quit taking it against doctor's advice.

She hasn't had a binge-drinking episode in about 4 months now.

I'm beginning to wonder if she's not just a budding codependent.
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:48 PM
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Here's a (((((((hug)))))))

Here's a suggestion, in a roundabout way from a friend of mine... this guy loves Latin! He loves it so much he took it in college for the fun of it. He recorded himself saying the words then wore headphones, closed his eyes and memorized them. When he told me that I swear my eyes glazed over. I told him he gave new meaning to being in love with the sound of ones own voice
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:50 PM
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((Freedom))
You have a great GPA. And, as Callie posted, 77% is not bombing.
Think of the Latin terms like foreign language vocabulary. Flash cards might help you learn them.
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by BayAreaPhoenix View Post
Sending you giant hugs! You know you will get thru it, but sounds like this is going to be "one of those" classes! It's so hard when the memory stick is not cooperating

A suggestion for your spinning brain: I learned in an Insight Meditation class this past year to stop and breathe - of course. This meditation is about the now and not necessarily emptying the mind. Focus on your belly going in and out. Focus on the breath and what it feels like at the tip of your nostrils while breathing in then breathing out. Does it feel cool? Warm? How does the waist of your pants feel against your abdomen while the breath goes in, then out? Notice if you breathe fast or slow, shallow or deep. Let your body breathe the way it wants to, don't control it. Don't focus on everything at once, just each sensation seperately. Get the idea? It's not to empty the mind so much as to give it a rest and slow it down. Maybe it will work for you. Sit up straight, close your eyes, don't cross your arms or legs and take a few minutes.

Good luck! (((hugs)))
Ohhhh, I like that meditation idea! I will be noticing the binder I'm wearing more than the waist of my pants though since I'm still healing from the hernia surgery.

I'm going to give it a go!
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:52 PM
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Hey....in organic chemistry, our mantra was "If I fail this class, it does NOT make me a bad person!" ;-)

Remember, as long as you clear the fence, it does not matter how high!

HG
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Old 01-27-2009, 01:53 PM
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My son fails every class - my daughter makes straight As. I worry more about my daughters grades then my sons. You know why? becuase she freaks out if she gets a B. If that report card doesnt show straight As she will be depressed and ashamed - that's just not okay. Bs are okay sometimes - Cs are okay sometimes - I'll take it step further and tell you its really okay to fail sometimes. I've learned more from the things i've failed then the things i've aced.

An attorney i worked for years ago paid for me to go to paralegal school on the grounds that i had to maintain a B average. Well my goal was straight As and I almost made it except for one class in basic computer skills. It did not matter to me that I grauduated with honors with an A average - what mattered to me was that one glaring C. Now fast forward 15 years later - i'm still in the legal profession but now i also am a database adminstrator, design web pages, know a little computer programming and i'm consodered the guru in the office for the computer - not only by office staff, my boss but also by IT professionals. Hmmm guess that C didnt really matter so much.
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Old 01-27-2009, 02:02 PM
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one other practical thing - sometimes with latin terms if you look up the origin and definition you can find a similar word in the english languge that sounds like it.

Here's an example:

et sequentes meaning "and the following." commonly used to include numbered lists, pages or sections after the first number is stated. Sequentes sounds a lot like Sequential which has an extremely similar meaning.

et alii means and the others. "alii" sounds and looks like "all"

little tricks i've used to remember what latin terms mean in my job.
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Old 01-27-2009, 02:19 PM
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(((((((Freedom1990))))))))

You will make it. Try not to worry.
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Old 01-27-2009, 02:40 PM
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Well, the youngest just called and her car is going nowhere. She's still 35 miles from home. At least she's at a Walmart so she can go inside where it's warm. She has no coverage for towing services on the car. She's waiting on a call back from the friend who does most of the mechanic work on her car to see if he and a friend can tow it back.

I am taking a break to feed my zoo crew and myself.
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Old 01-27-2009, 03:56 PM
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Just sending you a great big hug. Having been the kind of person that thought a B meant failure and then passing that tendency on to my daughter, I understand how hard one can be on themselves. Just remember that 5 years from now that 77% will be but a memory. Hugs, Marle
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Old 01-27-2009, 05:32 PM
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I was terrible at Latin in high school. And when I took my accounting courses, logarithms (useless little formula things that I have never ever needed in my entire accounting career) just about knocked me over.

Do the best you can and then leave the rest to God and the universe and trust that life will take you to where you are supposed to be.

Short version...you're doing just fine, stop stressing.
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Old 01-27-2009, 06:48 PM
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77 bombing....I think Not.

:ghug3

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Old 01-27-2009, 07:57 PM
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Sending hugs

and more hugs
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Old 01-27-2009, 08:27 PM
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Wanna know my favorite saying when it comes to these classes? "What do you call a physician who made C's in medical school? That's right-Doctor." It doesn't matter if you are passing and by the Grace of God finishing with a new achievement under your belt. You go girl!
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Old 01-27-2009, 08:39 PM
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Lots of great thoughts here...Sending lots and lots of hugs...and send some to your poor stressed daughter too - I hate car problems.

I too find writing things out helps with my retention and flash cards work best for me for memorization. I've tried to do a bunch then spend a half hour or so before I sleep going over some. I think somehow I retain it better if it is stuck in my head right before sleep (kinda like playing language tapes while you sleep, i guess)

I always had the most anxiety when courses first started up because I wasn't sure what the prof was looking for or how they graded. It always got better as I went along.

Kudos to you - you are doing awesome!!
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Old 01-28-2009, 06:21 AM
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You're doing great! With all you've got on your plate, you only for a 77!! and a great GPA. You owe yourself a great big pat on the back. Keep up the great work. We all know the stress of a tough class.
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