c. Know Yourself. Know how long you will need to complete your planned task
and then allow enough time. It matters little how long others would need; you are
planning for yourself. Know your personal needs, no matter what they are. Try to
understand things about yourself (what triggers your temper, that you have a tendency
to forget where you put things, and so forth). Understand what makes you act as you
do. Above all, be honest with yourself. No matter what other deceptions you make,
never deceive yourself.
d. Worry (Anxiety). Some anxiety keeps you applied to the task, too much
interferes with your ability to retain what you are trying to learn. The type of anxiety that
can seriously retard learning is worrying about events that may never happen. Many
people worry about events such as being flooded out of their homes (even though the
home is on high ground), being attacked by aliens from outer space, and . If you talk
out such fears with others and then plan out your work, you can combat these fears in
yourself. There are only two types of worries: those you can do something about and
those you cannot. If you can, do it; and if you can't, forget it.
e. I'm Not Good Enough. All of us are humans with an uneven distribution of
talents and abilities. There should be no feelings of inferiority just because you lack one
ability or another. All of us do. You are inferior only if you believe yourself to be inferior.
You may even succeed in convincing some others to agree with you. The best way to
eliminate such a delusion is to accomplish one or more task goals you set for yourself.
Try it, it works.
f. Humor. Nothing dispels gloom better than the ability to laugh at your own
mistakes. You accomplish a great deal by learning to laugh at yourself and with other
people.
g. Someone to Talk to. You may need a friend, family member, or someone
who will listen. Find someone who will not make judgments, just listen. You can often
find your own solutions to your problems while you are talking.
h. Get Out and Do Something. Everyone needs activity. Daydreaming solves
no problems. Neither does fantasy. These just make it easy to deny that a problem
exists while creating another (loss of your time). A good solution is to do something to
help others.
i. Be With People. We all need human contact. It is not healthy to shut
yourself away from family and friends. Use one to one contact and group contact to
break up study periods. You need both work and recreational activities. Space them to
your own special needs.
MD0560
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