Giving Yourself a Helping Hand
I’m not really good at math. Once I understand the general concept, I’m completely fine, but whew…sometimes it takes me a little while to get there. This is definitely an area in my life where I continually have to battle problems and find solutions (literally). At times I find that I really don’t “get” something, so I keep re-reading the same information. Then I go over it again and again. Sometimes I just find that the explanation still doesn’t click with me or with my learning style. At times like these, I find that I essentially have two options: I can keep going over the information in the hopes that it finally clicks, or I can ask for a little help.
As a teenager, my first reaction to asking someone for help is often “Nah, I’ll take care of it.” Sometimes, that’s fine; we shouldn’t depend on others to solve our problems for us all the time (plus, it’s human to fail; we can’t overreact every time an obstacle pops up and blocks our path).
However, it’s not good when we’re really struggling with a problem and don’t do anything about it.
We have to be able to ask for help, but it’s also important to be able to help ourselves. Sometimes talking over our problems with a friend or asking advice from a family member is what we really need. Other days, we can try to take the problem by storm! Grab a few sticky notes, make a to-do list, do a little research, etc. The possibilities are endless – try to find what works for you!
Personally, one of my biggest struggles with math, in particular, is that I become frustrated and get into a rut. A rut can be defined as “a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change.” So, I basically repeat that same old habit of thinking the explanation will magically change if I read it just “one” more time. That happens to us so many times in our daily lives but we don’t realize it.
We often go through life day after day doing the same things with the same approach and the same routines, but we don’t understand how that can negatively affect us and our work ethic.
When that happens, it’s time for a change. Friends, family, planners, sticky notes, and to-do lists can all be resources that we can use to both lift ourselves back up when we are in a rut and also to keep ourselves from going back down.
We’ve all been stuck in work, school, and relationships and we all know it can be incredibly hard to change our situations, even when our attitudes are willing. One thing I seriously had to work on with this blog post was procrastination – if I’m being honest, I have to admit that I do too many things at the last minute. That’s why I’m glad to have support from others around me when my procrastination problem begins to affect what I do and makes me feel like I’m sinking in quicksand.
Does this ever happen to you? If so, the first step to solving your problem is often just reminding yourself that you aren’t perfect, and that you don’t have to be! Once you’ve gotten over that small hurdle, you can take a running leap to the next step: actually doing something about it…about the problem, that is, not about the fact that you aren’t perfect. That part is perfectly fine!
Katherine Meikle, a Florida Virtual School student since Spring of 2010, is the founder and editor of the Student Ambassador Club newsletter, The Embassy. She has earned hundreds of community service hours and has been involved in numerous events, including FLVS Literacy Week, World Fest and the Shakespeare Festival. Katherine co-wrote and performed in the “Hero” breakout session at the 2012 Momentum Staff Conference and is proud to have organized the Club Day 2013 “Help for Hope” donation drive at FLVS. When not studying she loves to cook and to spend time in the great outdoors (well, gardening in her backyard, anyway).