Does SA affect your education?

[xLindziex]

It took me up until just this year (my senior year in high school) and my helpful Micro/Macro Economics professor from the class I'm dual enrolling in this year. He always encourages us to ask questions if we don't understand a word or phrase he uses in class. He realized I never ask questions and how I always sit in the back (mainly because in AP US Gov -the class that I have when I don't have Economics- I sit in the back since my last name begins with W and that's where I was assigned to sit). So now in Economics I sit in the front, which sort of bothered me because I kept thinking "Everyone's going to wonder why I switched my seat all of a sudden", even though I really had no choice. Anyways, back on track, I almost never understand anything in that class, but I don't want to ask questions because everyone else seems to know what's going on and I don't want to seem stupid for not catching on right away. I mean, obviously I'm not stupid and I know this because I'm around the top 10-11% of my class, but the feeling is still there. And if it's not that, then it's "Everyone's going to wonder why I'm talking, when I usually never talk", even though it'd be purely out of education. So, usually in these situations I'll tell myself that I'll go home and read through the text chapter and see if I can understand it through independent study. But it doesn't seem to help much since I have a horrible tendency to procrastinate and leave things to the last minute, which never helps at all because most of the time I just won't do it if it's too late.

The same goes with my AP Gov class and Trig. Especially Trig. I almost never understand what's going on in that class and don't ask any questions for the same reasons as I won't in Micro/Macro Economics.

Does anyone else have similar problems?

 

[kihira]

There is almost certainly other students wanting to know but afraid to ask. Try a few questions and see if others pipe up too. Maybe email your teacher with some other questions.

 

[WiwerGoch]

yes - i know exactly how you feel! i want to ask questions but people (even the teachers) will wonder why i'm talking. Could you maybe talk to your teacher(s) after class?

 

[xLindziex]

yes - i know exactly how you feel! i want to ask questions but people (even the teachers) will wonder why i'm talking. Could you maybe talk to your teacher(s) after class?

I could definitely do that, but the two classes I have the most problems in, the teachers would most definitely ask why I didn't ask the quesitons in class and well, I just wouldn't know what to say to that =/

 

[Bones]

I know exactly how you feel, I sit in lectures most days thinking "I haven't got a clue what your talkin' about", and I also leave everything to the last minute... I suppose we've just to remember that no-one thinks about us as much as we think they do. (In college I'd never ask questions because I thought people would think my voice was strange or whatever but at the end of the year, I realised that they paid so much attention to me that hardly any of them knew my name)!
I started to give an answer to a question every now and then and then slowly worked up to asking a few every lesson, I think that once you do it and notice that no one reacts differently to you and you actually start to feel a bit more like 'part' of the class you'll get more comfortable and then eventually you won't think before asking a question... I got to that stage and now I'm at Uni in a huge lecture hall, starting at the beginning again.
"You wouldn't care what people thought about you if you realised how seldom they did"
"What's the point in having your own thoughts if your only gonna listen to others?"
"Everything that was essentially worth doing, initially scared me to death"

 

[xLindziex]

There is almost certainly other students wanting to know but afraid to ask. Try a few questions and see if others pipe up too. Maybe email your teacher with some other questions.

I'll try the e-mailing. E-mailing seems to be more easier than face to face for me.

 

[EscapeArtist]

I know exactly how you feel, I sit in lectures most days thinking "I haven't got a clue what your talkin' about", and I also leave everything to the last minute... I suppose we've just to remember that no-one thinks about us as much as we think they do. (In college I'd never ask questions because I thought people would think my voice was strange or whatever but at the end of the year, I realised that they paid so much attention to me that hardly any of them knew my name)!
I started to give an answer to a question every now and then and then slowly worked up to asking a few every lesson, I think that once you do it and notice that no one reacts differently to you and you actually start to feel a bit more like 'part' of the class you'll get more comfortable and then eventually you won't think before asking a question... I got to that stage and now I'm at Uni in a huge lecture hall, starting at the beginning again.
"You wouldn't care what people thought about you if you realised how seldom they did"
"What's the point in having your own thoughts if your only gonna listen to others?"
"Everything that was essentially worth doing, initially scared me to death"

This is motivational. I think once I start school Ill begin to work my way through by answering a few questions as you did.

 

[Acegame]

Hey Lindzie. This is very common for people who suffer from SA. Before my symtoms kicked in my grades were fine, but after that my grades started to go down. I even had to do over a year. When i think back it was very obvious my social anxiety was the cause.

I had a very hard time to focus on what the teacher was teaching, because i was to bussy being anxious about what happend in class, or scared being asked a question :: And like you i procrastinated homework etc. Somehow i just couldnt do my homework because it made me feel horrible. I think subconciously i just didnt want to graduate because i was so scared for the next step. And also like you i didnt open my mouth in class because i was affraid that everyone would think: "Huhhhh whats that?! He opens his mouth! What the hell is happening" and they would look weird at me because i was doing something unexpected.

Maybe you can talk with the teacher and tell him? Most teachers are very understanding. And also it might be a good training to start asking questions every class. See it as a challenge. After a while the other students will get used to it and you feel better about yourself

 

[xLindziex]

Hey Lindzie. This is very common for people who suffer from SA. Before my symtoms kicked in my grades were fine, but after that my grades started to go down. I even had to do over a year. When i think back it was very obvious my social anxiety was the cause.

I had a very hard time to focus on what the teacher was teaching, because i was to bussy being anxious about what happend in class, or scared being asked a question :: And like you i procrastinated homework etc. Somehow i just couldnt do my homework because it made me feel horrible. I think subconciously i just didnt want to graduate because i was so scared for the next step. And also like you i didnt open my mouth in class because i was affraid that everyone would think: "Huhhhh whats that?! He opens his mouth! What the hell is happening" and they would look weird at me because i was doing something unexpected.

Maybe you can talk with the teacher and tell him? Most teachers are very understanding. And also it might be a good training to start asking questions every class. See it as a challenge. After a while the other students will get used to it and you feel better about yourself

You have no idea how much you made me smile. After reading yours & everyone else's comments on the subject, I'm definitely going to talk with my teachers more, but I also think I'm going to try to study more too so I don't feel lazy for not doing my homework and studying

 

[Acegame]

You have no idea how much you made me smile. After reading yours & everyone else's comments on the subject, I'm definitely going to talk with my teachers more, but I also think I'm going to try to study more too so I don't feel lazy for not doing my homework and studying

Im glad But yeah, i think talking with teachers is a very good idea. Maybe you can ask him/her to put you in the back again so you can concentrate more, or that he shouldnt ask you questions in front of class.

And isnt that just the worst feeling, knowing you are smart enough to get nice grades, but just not working hard enough... This used to make me feel horrible, especially when my parents got mad at me about it. And i still have this sometimes actually.

What may help is trying to find a motivation to study. In my case the last year of my education, a professor told me he had doubts i could finish it in time. He didnt have much confidence in me. But he didnt know that this motivated me more than it being my last year! Everytime i had problems to concentrate or was about to procrastinate, i thought about the look on his face when i would finish even before time run out. That really helped me through hard times and eventually i managed to graduate with very high grades. Maybe there is something else that motivates you, like a passion you want to persue after school (or try to find something if you dont have that yet).

Try seeing it as a challenge to get nice grades might also help. You will see that when you get a few good grades, this motivates for the next ones! I even started to like studying when my grades went up again in the end. Never thought that would ever happen

 

[xLindziex]

Im glad But yeah, i think talking with teachers is a very good idea. Maybe you can ask him to put you in the back again so you can concentrate more, or that he shouldnt ask you questions in front of class.

And isnt that just the worst feeling, knowing you are smart enough to get nice grades, but just not working hard enough... This used to make me feel horrible, especially when my parents got mad at me about it. And i still have this actually sometimes.

What may help is trying to find a motivation to study. In my case the last year of my education, a professor told me he had doubts i could finish it in time. He didnt have much confidence in me. But he didnt know that this motivated me more than it being my last year! Everytime i had problems to concentrate or was about to procrastinate, i thought about the look on his face when i would finish even before time run out. That really helped me through hard times and eventually i managed to graduate with very high grades. Maybe there is something else that motivates you, like a passion you want to persue after school (or try to find something if you dont have that yet).

My motivation for studying would definitely be my laptop since my mom threatened to take that away if I have even one C on my report card. Pretty much my whole life is on the internet, so it'd really suck to get it taken away from me.

 

[ikbenrifi]

First of all, thank you for starting this thread,
the answer to your question is definetely YES, SA affects my education.
During lectures, dozens of questions come to my mind, but never dared to ask them thinking that they may be stupid and obvious to other student, which is 100 percent not true !

 

[Acegame]

That sounds more like pressure to me... My mother used to do that to when i was in highschool. She threatened me in all kind of ways. But that made me more mad at her than motivated ::

I think most parents of social anxious children handle it the wrong way. But i understand it, we just look so lazy (i did at least). In the end they just try to help.

 

[xLindziex]

That sounds more like pressure to me... My mother used to do that to when i was in highschool. She threatened me in all kind of ways. But that made me more mad at her than motivated ::

I think most parents of social anxious children handle it the wrong way. But i understand it, we just look so lazy (i did at least). In the end they just try to help.

It is, but at the same time I've been getting A's and B's on all my report cards (save for one or two C's) since Kindergarden, so it's not really all that much of an effort except for classes I really stuggle in like Math and Social Studies. So I admit sometimes I do get a little lazy, ahaha.

 

[LovelyAmor]

I am I sophomore in college and this same exact thing is happening to me right now. It happened to me last year as well. I don't what it is, but my brain keeps telling me that even if I try and do the work that I am going to end up not doing it right or making it sound stupid. When I try and study for exams I think that my mind is just not capable of remembering the information and that I am going to fail anyway. BUT, there is this other little voice in the back that keep saying that all these negative thoughts overpowering me are wrong and that I am capable of doing ALL work and passing ALL my exams. It tells me that I AM capable of making straight A's.

Do you know that I went to summer school this past summer to bring up my GPA and that I ended up getting a lower one? I actually made an "F" in a class that I could have dropped but I fooled myself into thinking that I could go back to class and maybe pass it. I ended up not returning to class and the due date to drop classes had passed. You don't know how completely idiotic I felt. For this sophomore year I promised myself that I was going to make all A's and socialize with people more. I did well the first 1 or 2 weeks but I always find myself slipping into the same "hole of doom". My current GPA is 2.13. It should be like a 3.5-4.0, really.

I have no one paying for my education, I am going off of financial aid and grants. So it's almost like I don't have all of the pressure because there is no one threatening me if I don't do well. My grandmother and grandfather passed away a year apart from each other and our house was repossessed. I am here in NC and my mom is in CALI now with my aunt. I am not close to any of my other relatives so I feel so alone. My (severe) SA started in 10th grade (due to abuse from kids in school and mental and emotional abuse from my mom at home) and it's gotten better but I still have some issues. Our relationship is better since my grandparents have passed away and I really miss her. She gets on my case about my grades and i've realized that she actually gives a crap about me. If she doesn't get back I don't know what I will do because I have no one else to stay with.

I'm sorry that this is so long but i just needed to get this stuff out. I've been trying just recently to pass some of these classes and get myself together.

Sometimes I just wish that all of this traumatic crap didn't happen to me and that I just had a normal life. It would be so much easier for me to just "deal with life" in general. But - I still have hope ​

 

[xLindziex]

I am I sophomore in college and this same exact thing is happening to me right now. It happened to me last year as well. I don't what it is, but my brain keeps telling me that even if I try and do the work that I am going to end up not doing it right or making it sound stupid. When I try and study for exams I think that my mind is just not capable of remembering the information and that I am going to fail anyway. BUT, there is this other little voice in the back that keep saying that all these negative thoughts overpowering me are wrong and that I am capable of doing ALL work and passing ALL my exams. It tells me that I AM capable of making straight A's.

Do you know that I went to summer school this past summer to bring up my GPA and that I ended up getting a lower one? I actually made an "F" in a class that I could have dropped but I fooled myself into thinking that I could go back to class and maybe pass it. I ended up not returning to class and the due date to drop classes had passed. You don't know how completely idiotic I felt. For this sophomore year I promised myself that I was going to make all A's and socialize with people more. I did well the first 1 or 2 weeks but I always find myself slipping into the same "hole of doom". My current GPA is 2.13. It should be like a 3.5-4.0, really.

I have no one paying for my education, I am going off of financial aid and grants. So it's almost like I don't have all of the pressure because there is no one threatening me if I don't do well. My grandmother and grandfather passed away a year apart from each other and our house was repossessed. I am here in NC and my mom is in CALI now with my aunt. I am not close to any of my other relatives so I feel so alone. My (severe) SA started in 10th grade (due to abuse from kids in school and mental and emotional abuse from my mom at home) and it's gotten better but I still have some issues. Our relationship is better since my grandparents have passed away and I really miss her. She gets on my case about my grades and i've realized that she actually gives a crap about me. If she doesn't get back I don't know what I will do because I have no one else to stay with.

I'm sorry that this is so long but i just needed to get this stuff out. I've been trying just recently to pass some of these classes and get myself together.

Sometimes I just wish that all of this traumatic crap didn't happen to me and that I just had a normal life. It would be so much easier for me to just "deal with life" in general. But - I still have hope ​

I have that same voice -the one that keeps telling me that if I study I might do well, but for most of my classes in the past I literally never studied and only paid attention in class, so studying isn't really something that I really ever did on a daily basis.

And don't apologize, I really hope everything gets better for you!

 

[just wanna b normal]

It took me up until just this year (my senior year in high school) and my helpful Micro/Macro Economics professor from the class I'm dual enrolling in this year. He always encourages us to ask questions if we don't understand a word or phrase he uses in class. He realized I never ask questions and how I always sit in the back (mainly because in AP US Gov -the class that I have when I don't have Economics- I sit in the back since my last name begins with W and that's where I was assigned to sit). So now in Economics I sit in the front, which sort of bothered me because I kept thinking "Everyone's going to wonder why I switched my seat all of a sudden", even though I really had no choice. Anyways, back on track, I almost never understand anything in that class, but I don't want to ask questions because everyone else seems to know what's going on and I don't want to seem stupid for not catching on right away. I mean, obviously I'm not stupid and I know this because I'm around the top 10-11% of my class, but the feeling is still there. And if it's not that, then it's "Everyone's going to wonder why I'm talking, when I usually never talk", even though it'd be purely out of education. So, usually in these situations I'll tell myself that I'll go home and read through the text chapter and see if I can understand it through independent study. But it doesn't seem to help much since I have a horrible tendency to procrastinate and leave things to the last minute, which never helps at all because most of the time I just won't do it if it's too late.

The same goes with my AP Gov class and Trig. Especially Trig. I almost never understand what's going on in that class and don't ask any questions for the same reasons as I won't in Micro/Macro Economics.

Does anyone else have similar problems?

hecc! yeah! cuzz i cant concentrate or focus

 

[Kiwong]

Depression caused by bullying effected my High School Education without question. I did poorly

At University I studied mature age. Fortunately, this was before my anxiety was very bad. I studied extremely hard, because after my school education, I had a low estimation of my ability to pass at University. I finshed up getting High Distinctions for everthing and topping my course.

Now that my anxiety is very bad I'm not sure how I would go studying again.

 

[Social_Monstrosity]

It's definitely held me back. I ****ed up my grades BIG TIME when I figured I just didn't need to study or I was too apathetic to even attempt to study.

I graduated in May 2009 and now its almost 2011 and I haven't been on school OR done a single worthwhile thing since

 

[supaflyz]

SA affected my education as well. I'm in the same boat as you guys regarding asking questions during class. Sometime I asked and the teacher does the wrong problem. I don't tell them that they did the wrong problem. Other questions pop in my mind while the professors are lecturing, but I don't asked. I only email them afterwards.

To Amor, I hope your situation gets better. It happen to me a few times to while studying. I just feel exhausted, and my brain refuses to take the information in. Coffee helps a lot when studying though. You might give that a try.