Anxiety about schoolwork...

[Skyline]

Hey there I'm starting my second year in "lycée" (in France) and obviously I want it to be a good year what with the baccalaureat and all that coming up. As well as the normal classes in French I have "international" classes which are taught in English and which consist of four extra hours a week where we study various classic litterary works in depth. This year we are studying Hamlet, which I read during the holidays, and to be honest I didn't find it as enjoyable as the teahers made it out to be.
I get a lot of stress from thinking about all the work we have to do on Hamlet, especially since this "international section" that I'm part of is like the school's "jewel", and although the teachers are very nice and skilled at their jobs, they do put a lot of pressure on us, which is understandable but doesn't have a positive effect on me. Strangely though, whenever I'm stressed about schoolwork it's not actually because I'm worried that a bad grade will affect my average and all that -- it's actually because I am terrified of the teachers judging me as a person.
This leads me to then leave my homework for the last minute and this happens...

*thinks about school and teachers and that assignment for next week*
*gets stressed*
*to not feel stressed, ignores any thoughts about that work and focuses on something else like art or music*
*keeps pushing thoughts of homework and assignments away because it creates loads of stress and anxiety, until the very last minute*
*as a result hands in poor quality homework*

This always happens, and it isn't really that I procrastinate because I'm lazy (which I also happen to be), but because just thinking about all that makes me so stressed and anxious, sometimes to the point where I'm near tears or even crying.

When it comes to smaller pieces of work which aren't such a big deal and which the teachers don't put so much emphasis on, I can do them just fine. But I get really stressed when I think about a bigger assignment and wanting to please the teachers and all that and just keep pushing it away...

So yeah. It reallu sucks. If you have any suggestions on what I should do, or if you have anything at all to say on this matter, please do

Thanks, and have a good day!

[hello_goodbye]

Break up the stuff you are getting stressed about into little bits. So, set yourself little challenges- say "I will do X questions / write X pages in 20 mins" then totally focus on it and then at the end have a break. Vigourous movement stimulates your brain so in the break go for a walk or whatever and then go do some more, refreshed and energised. (I wish I studied like this LOL!)

[Kate*]

Hey there, I feel your pain. I hate the thought of doing poorly and being judged by someone in authority for "being wrong" or "not trying" or whatever else they choose to throw at me.

You can't control what another person says or does, and just because they have authority doesn't mean they're right or that you have to agree with what they tell you if it's disrespectful or rude. Your best is all you can do, and that's all they really want. If you can walk away from an assignment and say that you did the best you could, then that's what matters. If you need help with something then you can ask for it, but teachers are human, they aren't heartless.

Procrastinating won't produce your best work, but you know that which will probably lead them to make more negative comments because you're capable of better. If they really want to say something negative, they'll probably say it regardless. Focus on doing your best and know that you can't control how another person reacts to it.