Dealing with APA writing Frustrations

Hello Everyone,

Coming soon, I will be addressing many issues faced by ADLs writing in the APA format. Many times students who are new to APA writing are faced with frustrations to the point of wanting to quit. Don't quit yet till you read what I have to say to encourage you. I will sign off by saying, you can do this. It just takes time and patience, but you can do it. Frustration is expected so hang in there and you will be okay!

Prof. Brown

Dealing with Frustration - A Holistic View

Dealing with Frustration - A Holistic View

Hello there everyone,

For those of you that are currently taking classes and have found yourselves frustrated with the demands of life, family and school. Here's a little sunshine from a holistic view, to aide you toward avoiding burn out. First, setting priorities in place is important. Here I will list frustrations that students face and then I will address each one:

1. School (have to put in too many hours, don't have time for fun)
2. Family (always demanding, expecting you to be at all family gatherings)
3. Spirituality (pray! who has the time?)
4. Friends (don't have time for them)

Let's deal with these issues that have created much stress in your lives. How do you deal with all for of these items without losing yourself? First, school is important. Going to college is a challenge. The biggest challenge can be finally realizing the rigor expected from each class. Realizing this, you notice that you only have 24 hours in a day, yet it seems as if you are working on homework 30 hours plus or more per day. I'm exaggerating, but you get the point. You must sit down and figure out what is the best time of the day to get your homework assignments completed without distractions. Create a space within your home, or go to a public place where you can study so that you have peace of mind to get your deadlines met. Second, family is important, however, you have to understand; those who have never attended college or those who have been away for sometime, do not understand the time and dedication that you have devoted to your studies. Unfortunately, they may never understand. You have to find those who are supportive or those who can mentor you while you work toward your academic success plan. Try to talk to your family about your academic obligations. If they still not understanding, try to find a support group at school or develop one yourself for students who need academic support. Third, spirituality is important to many students who find themselves stressed. Make sure you take care of this aspect of your life; do not neglect your spirituality. If you can not make meetings, read books, or talk to others who are spiritual. There are many websites that could also be of good resource for you to stay connected. Finally, Friend connections are just as important as your family. Many times however, students neglect there friends and find that within the first year, they lose many close relationships. Stay connected to your friends, by sending them an ecard, or other type of “Just Thinking About You” type things.

Keep in mind, you may feel like you are losing your mind, but you are in control! Make time for FUN with family and friends – and don’t neglect those close relationships, you will need them.

Signing off,

Michelle Joy,

Taking Care of Me

Okay, been off the scene for a minute~taking care of me. When is the last time you gave yourself permission to take a day off work, or go for a nice long drive, better yet, take yourself out to a nice dinner? When?? Well, let me assist you - right now, I want you to pick up your planners, PDA, computer etcetra, to set aside some time for yourself! This is an order! Many of us are running around working too many hours, eating junk food calling it food, sleeping less than is healthy, and neglecting ourselves on every front. It's time to stop being so mean to yourselves, and start being nice ~ you deserve it! So, I have taken just a bit of time to myself to hang out with my family, grab some good food and watch some fun movies. I'm taking care of me.

This time I will end on a short note, because I want to ask you to post something here to let us all know what you do to take care of yourself. Please be respectful with your comments. Some people need ideas from others so that they can learn that others too are taking care of themselves while working hard, but having fun!

What do you do for fun???

Time Management

Okay ADLs, listen, many of your are working so diligently trying to accomplish your academic goals. One thing I find with many ADLs is that they wait until the last minute to research and write their course final paper(s). Time management is something that every student must take into account. Studying, researching, and writing takes a lot of time, energy and thought. With that said, I am hopeful that you are also utilizing critical thinking skills as well. Think about creating a time-line for each class according to your class responsibilities. Use the syllabus to determine how much time you should spend each week working on your paper. Rule of thumb, start working on your paper at least two to three weeks in advance before the due date. This will aide you in avoiding the unwanted stress and anxiety that hovers over students during last minute crunch time. Plus, it is only fair that you are in a positive mental state for yourself and family while working on your education. Eventually I will discuss the pros and cons of going back to college and why people divorce or separate when ADLs return to college. In the meantime, set some timely goals to be efficient in completing your coursework and less stressed! Read time management books, search the Internet for other tools that can aide you on your successful academic venture. Take Care, see you again soon.

Take a Breather

Overwhelmed? Tired? Exhausted? Now is the time to sit back and reflect the many responsibilities you may have. Are you doing too much; have a difficult time saying NO? Then you probably have problems setting healthy boundaries. Remember this student, you can not properly function if you are overwhelmed, exhausted and tired all the time. You must decide today to take a break. Give yourself permission to go for a long walk, leave the cell phone at home. Take a long coffee break. When is the last time you watched a movie and laughed or cried? It's time, you know, to take care of you. Right where you sit or stand, make a conscious effort to take a deep breath, now ask yourself - what can I do today to alleviate some of the stress I am experiencing. Go ahead. So, what did you come up with? I hope you are honest with yourself, you can not please everybody and you should stop trying to please everybody. Take a break, go out to dinner, read a good book that has nothing to do with your college subject matter. Start today becoming the winner within. We are on a voyage to becoming MASTER STUDENTS!

You can do it!

The Non-Traditional Student (ADLs)

Whew! You've decided to go back to college. The average student in classes I teach, range from 23-27 years old. Many of the students are in their forties. Deciding to go back to school is a challenge, especially since so many people have obligations that kept them from returning in the first place. People have families to take care of, children and parents; along with those responsibilities, there are oftentimes the full-time job, peers, memberships to associations/organizations and other such activities that take up the non-traditional student's time. As ADLs (adult learners) it is oftentimes difficult to play the juggling act of multitasking when you haven't taken time to wrap your mind around your new found responsibilities of being a college student. Well, help is on the way. You will find in this blog, various way to combat stress, negative relationships and peers, self-sabotage and the ole "I just can't do this anymore". Hang on, shortly, I will delve into this blog and start along with you on your path to meeting your academic goals. Sit back, relax and you will be able to breathe again in no time.