As a person that has encountered many challenges in my journey with education, I believe there is still time to improve those challenges to result into a happy journey. Many of these challenges that I have come across include anxiety, stress and public speaking. I believe that every one of these challenges can be turned around for the better.
I have recently noticed that one of my biggest challenges in education has been anxiety. I believe my challenge with anxiety derives from the feeling of failing. On page 84 from Happiness in Education it is stated “ students are motivated by their fear of failure. At the end of the term, liberated from their books and papers and exams, they feel an overwhelming sense of relief-which, in the moment, can feel a lot like happiness.” It is true that before every project, paper or homework assignment I get this feeling of being overwhelmed. During these times I have thoughts of failure run through my mind and negative scenarios of my future. I fully agree with what was stated in the previous quote from Happiness in Education. It is not until I am completely done with all the assignments that I feel the feeling of complete relief which, only tends to stay for a very short period of time.
I am convinced I can change my feeling of anxiety and produce a more happy experience. It was stated that “students experience boredom or anxiety in school”. To change that feeling I tested a theory that I came upon looking at an article called 10 Tips to Manage Anxiety found on lifemojo.com in the section How Do I cope with Anxiety, it was stated “Relaxation techniques” . My relaxation technique that I have been testing is listening to uplifting music previous and during the assignment. I tested this theory out because it has worked for me before I have gone up on stage and before and during a big clean up project carried out in my house. I am listening to uplifting music as we speak and it has released some of the anxiety and has put my mind in a more positive state.
Another challenge I’ve run into in education is stress. I have grown up in a house with four other girls which, now became five. All of these girls either go to college or middle school and we only have one computer. All of us need the computer just about every day and they tend to get to it before I can because of our school schedules. This results in a great amount of stress for me because more or less all of my assignments have to do with using the computer. I consider myself lucky if I get to it around 10 PM or 12 AM because sometimes like this very moment I have to wake up early to write my assignments or pull a somewhat close to what people call an “all nighter”. Getting to my computer late puts pressure on the amount of sleep I get. Proven in the video The effects of sleep Deprivation on www.videojug.com “Sleep deprivation and sleep restriction just don't help work at all. Mainly because you can't concentrate as well, it's more difficult to recall things”. Which shows that the fact that I’m getting to my computer late resulting in lack of sleep is putting pressure on my performance in class.
I believe that I can relieve my stress to make a more pleasant educational journey. In Happiness Explained on page 46 and 47 they mention a “weekly map” which gave me the idea of creating a schedule. I will attempt to make a schedule with my family and try to map out and balance a reasonable time limit for every person. I will do this so that everyone can have a chance at a time that works out for them best. This may result in better timing, more sleep, improved family harmony and less stress on my educational life.
I realize that I absolutely dread public speaking. When I was younger I used to be the kid that would be the first speaker, take over when another student in my group messed up and in my earlier years in high school I even volunteered to go give presentations to other students around the school. I even grew up on stage. Though over the past two years or so I’ve been losing sleep over it, I hyperventilate, I get anxious, I get scared. I have gotten to extreme points where I had to be removed and brought to the nurses office in a wheel chair. In the article The Mysterious Dread of Public Speaking by
Dr. Mark Dillof it was stated that “This is not a question of having an inferiority complex or a poor self-image or a lack of self-esteem, for many people who fear public speaking are confident in every other aspect of their lives.” I do have a reasonable amount of self esteem so I know that has not been the problem. I notice that about 5 minutes before my presentation is when I start to get the worse but it isn’t as bad as when I get in front of the class. Once I see all those eyes staring at me I begin to panic .
I have confidence that even this challenge of the fear of public speaking can be changed. I think that if I prepared my presentation at least a week ahead of time I would be better at it. I would be able to practice my presentation multiple times. I believe if I practiced my presentation many times I will be ready. I will know my subject thoroughly and if I knew my subject to that great extent I believe I would be more confident about what I will speak about when I get in front of a crowd.
Though I have come across many challenges in education I have always believed that there always time to improve and create a more positive outcome. I am convinced that I can change anxiety or stress or public speaking or anything at all as long as I put time and effort into it. Putting time and effort is exactly what I am going to do.
