I have a problem that I could use a little advice on. When I'm doing my homework (generally this occurs during math homework) and I get to a problem that I cant solve, I start by getting agitated, then it gets worse and worse and I eventually end up shutting down completly and not even finishing the assignment. I am taking meds (strattera) but its not at full dose yet, and it has just started working recently. A lot of my other issues have improved greatly, but if I never turn in any homework, Ill have a hard time passing the class. :confused:

i have had the same problems. i didn't get help with it, but should have.
but, i recommend getting an on-campus tutor. that way they're there to help you when you're frustrated, and you'll probably be more likelly to finish it. you should make it a specifically set time and don't leave until your assignments are completed. i think having that person there who's there just for you will help alot. but, it will take a lot of self discipline to set it up and stick with it. good luck.
i hate math. so i feel for you.

A tutor is a good idea.

One thing I did when i couldn't get something:

(1) take a deep breath
(2) set the homework (or homework problem) aside and do something else (other homework or whatever)
(3) come back to it when you're calmer

Good luck!

This is one of the major reasons I took five years to do my four year degree! I would work for a bit and if the work was remotely challenging my brain would just say "see ya! I'm outta here!". Adn no matter how much I tried to finish the work I just spent the time staring at the page and not comprehending anything. So I often didn't finish at all and did a poor job on teh assignment or didn't hand it in at all, and I did very poorly on tests because they same thing happened while studying.

I think getting help is important. If you don't have friends in your classes to study with, perhaps a tutor would be a good option.

I actually studied applied math in grad school. And I had exactly the same problem. (As an undergrad too.) Parenthetically, I paid for grad school myself. I found that one is much more motivated not to screw up on one's on dime. :)

Anyway, solving math problems requires a unique insight. And unlike reading a history text and absorbing facts, you never know when the insight will happen.

What I found I had to do to activate the complex cognitive thinking required for math was to cross over into the hyperfocus zone, the mental state of "Flow" that the psychologist Csikszentmihalyi has written about. I had to dedicate enough targeting thinking on a hard problem such that it captured me and I did not want to let go. And it really was the many $$$ of my investment that scared the necessary discipline into me.

A tutor can point you in the right direction, but with math, solving those problems requires addressing the issue between your ears.

Keep Plugging and Good Luck,

SteveM

Strattera may not be the best med for you.

I dont think Stratterra is good for me either.

Does anyone get tired when on Stratterra as soon as I take it it makes me tired and I cnat concentrate in college.

I'm hesitant to go off of the strattera because of all the positive changes it has made in my life. My impatience and general irratibility is all but gone (my fuel mileage went up 4mpg!!!), I can read longer, and it lasts all day long. I do get tired shortly after taking it so I switched to taking it at night, and its been much better. I also sleep great and wake up in a good mood almost every morning now (I dont remember ever waking up like this before starting the meds). I have started forcing myself to do my math homework in the math lab on campus and to go to my prof's office hours. I definatly seem to be doing better getting one on one time with my instructor and with a tutor. I ended up getting a D on my last trig test (a reprehensable act for me), but I feel confident about my midterm at this point. I take it on monday, so well see how the extra time is paying off for me. Perhaps sticking with strattera and taking a small dose of a stim at homework time might help. I don't know.

I never thought of taking it at night. I do like some of the postitve changes it has made in me .. My impatience and irratiblity also have gone. well once in while like the other day. long story

Do you have any study tips, I was lost in between the cracks growning up so I wasnt taught how to study, like my sister.

Do you have any study tips, I was lost in between the cracks growning up so I wasnt taught how to study, like my sister.
One thing that has helped a lot with my reading is that while I am reading, I follow along with a highlighter, and highlite passages that stick out to me. I also look for words I dont recognize and I put a dot above them so I can go back later and look them up. Also taking brief notes is a pretty good idea to help retain the info. With math, I have to do it in short blocks over the course of the day, say 20 min. at a time, so that I dont get too overwhelmed. Math is a repitition thing. The more you do it, the easier it will get. When I have a concept that I am struggling with, after doing it a few(hundred) times, it will click in my head and become easy. During lectures, take lots of notes. lots and lots and lots! Then I compare notes from day to day to see what topics are hit upon several times, and what seems to be crossing over from the reading. I don't do so well in classes Im not all that interested in (for obvious reasons). Im still trying to figure out how to get passed the procrastination part of school. :D

I have the same problems, but more with reading. I get confused and I'm not able to translate (french major). I find if I just go for short periods of time, and if I'm totally done by the end of the set amount of time, then I go on to something knew. If not, I still change, but come back to it in an hour or so.