Hey everyone.
I'm presently kind of worried about how I dont feel stress very easilly.Or more, I do, but in short bursts, then Im my calm, like-a-rock self again. Assuming I feel stressed at all.
I have my 3rd art unit due tomorrow (there are three in a year, to give you an idea of the size of it) and I have done so, so, little. I've looked at the projects of my peers and not one of them has done less than me, I think. Not just unit 3 but 2 and 1 aswell. I should be having some sort of crying fit on the floor right now, but ....Im fine.

Im scared that it sometimes feels like I have the inability to stress...usually I just feel it in short bursts as Im unable to sustain it throughout the day. Basically, its really irregular and thus my output is irregular. Eg, last night I was working my backside off (such a good feeling - love it), and now Im doing...well....very little. Its as if my enthusiasm and drive has been sucked away. Thing is, I need that stressing, that drive, and I can accomplish so much - I can be like a machine, producing work at a high rate.

I feel like a mule - I need to be hit with a stick by stress to make me work, then I can do LOADS. But I need that stick!

Anyone in a similar dilemma? Any pointers?

Geez. I am in the exact same boat.

My paper? Due last Friday. I've been trying to write it since last Thursday, pulling all-nighters...then not writing. It's frustrating since I have pages of outlines, quotes, I know what I want to write.... But the mental effort of putting it together, organizing it, getting together a "flow" of the argument is so exhausting. I got put on medication last week, but I'm just burnt out from this year, end of last year....

I wish the world would stop so that I could just do. nothing. for about a month.

Why am I not feeling the burn? I need to feel panicked to get things done, and I'm just. not. feeling it. And this paper is NOT going to go away because I ignore it.

Are you taking any meds, especially antidepressants? I found that until you find the right one at the right dosage, it makes everything flat. I even had the disconcerting feeling that there was a panic attack fighting to escape, but the calmness was like a cage for it. If that's the case, give it time. You won't feel panicky, but you'll be able to feel more than calm. If not, I don't know what to tell you. Before meds, in college, I pulled more than my share of all-nighters because I needed that pressure to get things done.

I feel like a mule - I need to be hit with a stick by stress to make me work, then I can do LOADS. But I need that stick!

I know what you are saying....

Deadlines, and my absolute fear of failing to meet them, are the only thing that ever got me through school. Now that I am not saddled with deadlines I've had to find ways of artificially producing deadlines for myself. It's certainly not easy when there is no shame associated with not performing well. Maybe you need to be a little creative and set up some intermediate level "sticks" to get you going a bit earlier. Or maybe you just work best in short bursts and should arrange things to fit that style.

Good luck,
-g

"But the mental effort of putting it together, organizing it, getting together a "flow" of the argument is so exhausting." - So true! I get what you're saying- I 've a French essay planned out, what topics I want to mention etc...but to sit down and write it is something I have been avoiding for the past few days ^^; wupsy

Faylen - *shakes head* Nope Im not on any meds at the moment. I can sympathise with the lack of sleep thing. Two out of the last three nights I had 3.5hrs sleep. Its not usually that bad, but I've lots of coursework in soon, so all the work that has been avoided earlier must be done now so I predict similarly sleepless nights ^^;

scatter-g - Can you elaborate a bit on the stick bit?

Sticks.... I guess I meant that it may be helpful to set up extra deadline-like situations to help keep you motivated. Like if you tell someone what you are planning to get accomplished, then that might add some pressure that might encourage you to get it done. I have an enormously difficult time with writing projects, so what I've done is told friends that I would submit a paper to a conference that they are involved with, so I feel the extra pressure to actually write something. And then the conferences I have participated in lately have only required summaries of the paper. So I can actually get that done by the submission date (usually long before the conference) and then still have plenty of time to think about what I am writing and do the research ahead of time. Or since I know I will procrastinate on getting exams back to my students, I makea point of promising them that I'll get them done by a particular date -- it usually forces me to get them done because I don't want to disappoint them. Likewise, people who are trying to quit smoking, but are afraid of losing control of their urges often tell their friends that they are quitting, knowing that their friends will hassle them if they catch them smoking.

The general idea is to offload the burden of forcing yourself to get things done onto other people or situations. Does any of this even make the slightest bit of sense???

-g

Yeah I'm the same way! My boyfriend is worried I'm going to end up on the street one day because I don't worry about things long enough to finish them. I'll be like "holy crap! I have to get this done!" and work on it really hard until.....it just doesn't seem that big of a deal. Like I have a ton of homework from Calculus that needs to be done. My Calc teacher also has ADD so he's terrible at grading on time and takes late work. Oh it can be late? I'll do it later. Now I have a two inch stack of paper that has to be done by next week.

When I first realized this I went nuts and spent about 7 hours straight working on my assignments...now...it's just sitting on my desk I look at it and go "eh" and walk off....haha.

I'm currently unmedicated so it can't be meds doing this to me.

My Calc teacher also has ADD so he's terrible at grading on time and takes late work. Oh it can be late? I'll do it later.
Sounds just like me :eek: -- I teach philosophy in college and I always give people slack on handing things in late for just that reason, I can't get things back on time. Most people don't abuse it, but sometimes it makes my life more difficult because I have an even tougher time sorting things out when there is a pile of mixed up late and on time work on my desk. Too bad I don't have armies of grad students doing all that stuff for me.

-g

Eep! Sorry people like me make your job harder. I don't try to abuse it...haha.

Eep! Sorry people like me make your job harder. I don't try to abuse it...haha.
Thanks, but it's not the procrastinators that make my job harder, it's my own brain. It keeps falling out and I keep tripping over it... ;)

I've gotten more extreme on when I actually *feel* the deadline. The night before something is due doesn't feel like deadline to me anymore.

Once I start to feel it I often have no chance to accomplish all the work I have left in such a short amount of time.

I often feel I have the inability to stress too. I think I've stressed too much in my life already so I got imune to it.

One thing I have found works sometimes if I am having big problems working is to have an extremely low expectation of what I am going to do. So today you can feel you are not getting anything done. So spend the next 5-10 minutes setting this up. Go to the bathroom, pour a glass of water, put yourself in front of what you have to do. Get rid of any distractions. If you are on a computer disconnect the internet and put the cable you need to connect in another room, close all unnecessary programs. Move any game discs, DVDs and CDs that could distract you to another room. Set a timer for 30 mins. Now start it and sit in front of the work. If you do nothing it doesn't matter. You can just sit their for another 30 mins. But you might as well do half a sentence, a couple of brushstrokes or lines. It is only vital that you stay their for 30 mins and have the choice only to do nothing or do work. I find it helps but it is important that this is very low expectation. You cannot say I will do this ten times in a day. Just once or twice and that you will reward yourself with doing at least ten minutes of doing something you really want to do afterwards even if you acheived nothing. Might work might not but it only takes an hour.