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neocortex27 04/14/2016

Exactly one week from now I'll write the first of my three final exams! I am glad to be done with school (I have this week off to study), but I'm unsurprisingly also nervous. I know I can do it, despite all my issues my grades are pretty good and it's actually not that difficult.

The second and third are on friday and monday, so I'll be done with it right away, but it'll also be extremely exhausting. Each exam takes 5 hours, during which I won't have a break and it's difficult to concentrate towards the end. After those three I'll have another oral exam in a month or so, but that one will be really easy. The written ones are the ones that scare me.

The main problem is that this is the perfect opportunity to self-sabotage, something I WILL NOT DO under any circumstance!!!!!!! I refuse to allow my issues to affect this!!!!!!! NOT! HAPPENING! Just get your shit together, Neo!

I'll need your support with this. I'm not good at asking for help, but this time I will (even if it took ridiculously long to type these 3 sentences). Can you give me a hoot?

Thank you! (((((((HUGS)))))))

SunCloudJD 04/14/2016

Sending you a great big hug of peace and calm... You can do this!!!... xo

LeoX3 04/14/2016

That's great!

OMG, five hours for a single exam?! What kind of finals are those?! Wow. I admire you simply for doing this, let alone doing three, so Yes, You Can.... Heck, you already Have! Ergo, no self-sabotage, and you have the puma purrrrrrring for you:-)

jewells1 04/14/2016

Hoot Hoot Hoot...
I plan on a small gift to me as I finish each leg. So treat yourself well, you deserve it.

neocortex27 04/14/2016

Thanks :)

Leo: I know, it sucks!!! At least we're allowed to eat and drink. And it's tradition here that the grade below ours will bake cake and make coffee and bring it to us, so there's a silver lining. We've written some 5-hour-exams before, to try it out, basically. So I know that after 4 hours my concentration runs out, but it's the same for everyone. I'll just have to do the tasks with the most points first. Still, who the hell thought it would be a good idea to make 5-hour-exams??!!!

mujicaptsd 04/14/2016

Whew, exams that are 5 hours long apiece. I did that once in 1988. It was yikes. I passed them, though, so I'm glad I've never had to do that again.

I made 3 by 5 notecards and carried them around with me when I went out to coffee or out to dinner, whatever, That helped.

Then the night before I made sure to get a good night's sleep so my brain wouldn't be fried and squirrely the next day. That helped, too.

You can do this. I got a lot of support from friends of mine at the coffee shop where I studied back then. Glad you came for support here about it. It really helps, Neo. You've got our support big time.

arfie 04/14/2016

Calming hugs and encouraging hopes, Neo.

My best exam scores come from treating myself well before the exam. An extravagant breakfast and/or a walk someplace nice are my personal favorite exam preparations. Calms my self-sabotage reflexes.

aspiesarah2 04/14/2016

U can do this neo, we all have faith in you and are here for u anytime u need us. Hugs

atec 04/14/2016

Hoots to you. I remember taking a long final exam and in the middle the church bells across the street started to ring. All I could think after that point was "For whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee".

neocortex27 04/14/2016

Thank you!

Muji: I'm actually running around with notecards all the time, but it's a lot of them. I have to study for three subjects with four semester topics each. Aaaaarrrgh!!! Passing them luckily won't be a problem for me, but of course I'm aiming for a good grade...

Atec: Actually, there's a church right next to my school. Of course it started ringing during the try-out exams and it probably will during my finals as well, yay. Last time, everyone started cursing in annoyance for the duration of the bells, to the great amusement of our teacher.
"For whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee" How true! That made me laugh, thanks!

jewells1 04/15/2016

Makes me think of Pavlov's dogs. Read your notes next to the church and associate the church bells with an unconditioned response ( the answers to questions or essay topics). Speak the topic to the tune of the bells.
Hah use it.

neocortex27 04/16/2016

Haha, thanks Jewells. That's actually a cool idea, but unfortunately I don't know which topic I'll have to write about yet. Decided to use the bell time as an early lunch break, ten minutes break is the most I can afford if I want to get everything done, so why not do it when I'm distracted anyway.

LeoX3 04/16/2016

Neo, much support continues, and use the M&M method. For every page I successfully reviewed, I ate an M&M. (a small chocolate candy) Hydrate, reward, and watch something utterly goofy to release your stress, okay?

Luck!

mujicaptsd 04/16/2016

That's a lot of cards for a lot of subject to be sure, Neo. I bought 3 colored magic marker, and painted the border of each card with a color code. Then, I used a hole punch and punched a whole in the corner of each of mine, then put them on a huge key ring to carry them around that way. The stack on the key ring, then, had a bunch with red borders for one subject, blue for another, and green for another. I would leaf through them on that key ring whenever I was waiting in line at the grocery store, whatever, like a rosary or worry beads or something. It was for learning purposes, but it was for worry bead anxiety-calming purposes, too, really.

neocortex27 04/16/2016

Leo: Thanks for that idea! I'll try that with liquorice, that'll get me working wit maximum efficiency.

Muji: I put up some clotheslines in my room and hung the cards up with pegs. Used different coloured thears to show the connections. My room looks pretty weird now, but I tend to think better in 3-dimensional patterns.

jewells1 04/17/2016

You should take a picture of the clothes line web. I tend to think in pictures. An image can give me all the words for essays, only the names and correct processes must be tied.

Off to the books, I am also in prep mode.

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