Under too much stress I just zone out

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around coping mechanisms for stress, particularly in the context of academic pressures. Participants share personal experiences of zoning out and procrastination, especially related to software engineering classes, and seek advice on how to manage stress effectively.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a pattern of zoning out under stress, leading to procrastination and negative impacts on academic performance.
  • Another suggests setting a time schedule for studying to counteract stress-induced performance drops.
  • Some participants propose eliminating distractions by removing video games and other entertainment from their environment.
  • There are suggestions to work in libraries or other distraction-free environments to enhance focus.
  • One participant mentions the potential benefits of exercise for stress relief and concentration.
  • Concerns about smoking as a stress relief method are raised, with conflicting views on its health implications.
  • Several participants share their own coping strategies, including sleep and the use of energy drinks, while acknowledging the challenges of procrastination.
  • One participant questions the effectiveness of smoking, while another humorously engages with the topic of smoking-related risks.
  • There is a discussion about the importance of balancing computer use for study versus leisure, particularly for software engineering students.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of personal strategies for managing stress, with no clear consensus on the best approach. Some agree on the importance of eliminating distractions, while others emphasize the role of exercise and structured schedules. Disagreement exists regarding the use of smoking as a coping mechanism.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various personal habits and stressors, including procrastination and late-night study sessions, which contribute to their stress levels. The discussion reflects a range of individual experiences and coping strategies without resolving the effectiveness of any particular method.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students experiencing academic stress, particularly those in demanding fields like software engineering, as well as individuals seeking diverse perspectives on coping mechanisms for stress management.

0rthodontist
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This has happened to me before in high school and now it is happening again. When I am under too much stress I just zone out, playing video games and wasting time for 8 hours a day. This was responsible for a serious drop in high school grades. I thought I was over it when I did great in college up until now but now I am doing it again because of my software engineering class. Now, wasting time on watching animations and playing games is harming my performance in all my classes and I can't make myself stop.

Anyone have advice on how to stop this?
 
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That is very different than the way I handle too much stress. Maybe set a time schedule for yourself on when you are going to spend time on the software class. What happens to me when I am overstressed is my performance goes down and I try to overcompensate.
 
I would get rid of the distractions. Take your TV, video games, and any other distractions over to a friends house and leave them there! Turn your phone off and seal your self in your room/library. Begin setting small deadlines for yourself and STICK to them. For example come up with a schedule of when your going to complete what assignments and make sure you get it done by that time. Make an effort to do your work first, and reward yourself with TV , vid, only after you've finished your assignments. Productivity is self-motivating, you just need to build a little momentum :smile:
 
If you live close to your school or library take you work and do it there. That way even if you want a distraction there is none...you are forced to study. And leave the mp3 player at home to haha!
 
scorpa said:
If you live close to your school or library take you work and do it there. That way even if you want a distraction there is none...you are forced to study. And leave the mp3 player at home to haha!
i reackon that if he's already learning in college, he also spends time in the library (when his got a vacant time in his schedule).
anyway, i don't know how can you learn maths & physics without some sort of hearing music in the background.
 
0rthodontist said:
This has happened to me before in high school and now it is happening again. When I am under too much stress I just zone out, playing video games and wasting time for 8 hours a day. This was responsible for a serious drop in high school grades. I thought I was over it when I did great in college up until now but now I am doing it again because of my software engineering class. Now, wasting time on watching animations and playing games is harming my performance in all my classes and I can't make myself stop.

Anyone have advice on how to stop this?
Are you smoking ?
smoking can help you relax.
 
Drimar said:
Are you smoking ?
smoking can help you relax.

Smoking can kill you as well.
 
What if you only alowed yourself to do those zone-out activities as a reward for working? Don't allow yourself to play video games/watch tv at night until you meet certain study goals.

One really good way to deal with stress is to exercise regularly. Even though it can be hard to get into a regular routine, you will be amazed on how good it is for stress relief and concentration.
 
so how long dos it take me to meet my study goal?
sleeping and beer relax ur mind
 
  • #10
I get this problem. I've found just trying to take everything away, and hiding in a library, a bookstore, even a room and closing myself off from everything work sometimes. It's really a bad problem of mine. In fact, right now I have at least three things I could be working on. Instead I'm replying to this. Well, this and listening to music.

I don't suggest smoking, purely because my father almost died of lung cancer, and cancer's not fun (hah). For some reason, a really good energy drink - Rockstar, or even Tab - seem to help me, but I've heard that for some people it just makes it worse.

Good luck!
 
  • #11
siddharth said:
Smoking can kill you as well.

from statistics, no one dies while smoking.
unless you smoke in the middle of traffic.
 
  • #12
michaeltorrent said:
from statistics, no one dies while smoking.
unless you smoke in the middle of traffic.

No, but the direct effects of smoking can kill you.

Actually, it might be a little amusing to see someone die while smoking... :devil:
 
  • #13
How morbid of you..:smile:
 
  • #14
What is the stress due to? If it's just normal academic stress, then I agree with those who've suggested exercising (I find a 9 p.m. run really helps me clear my mind), working in the library, etc. )

However, I'm currently also under a lot of stress, mostly due to not only procrastinating on setting up my senior year project, but also procrastinating on asking my advisor what the due dates are for things like these, so that I'm not even sure how much I'm procrastinating. Furthermore, I've gotten into this bad habit of staying up till 4 and skipping next morning's 9 o'clock class, which makes me miss homework assignments and new material, further perpetuating an academic slide (and for the record, I know I'm posting this at 5 a.m., but it's not as bad as it looks because I took a 3-hour nap from 9:30 pm-12:30 am.) I guess my advice is to fix any bad habits you might have that give you stress, especially staying up late and not knowing when your long-term deadlines are.
 
  • #15
0rthodontist said:
This has happened to me before in high school and now it is happening again. When I am under too much stress I just zone out, playing video games and wasting time for 8 hours a day. This was responsible for a serious drop in high school grades. I thought I was over it when I did great in college up until now but now I am doing it again because of my software engineering class. Now, wasting time on watching animations and playing games is harming my performance in all my classes and I can't make myself stop.

Anyone have advice on how to stop this?
I am no therapist, but you sound like you have a mild form of game addiction triggered by stress.
 
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  • #16
when I'm stressed I sleep!
My body is like, oh hi, goodnight.

I agree don't sit by the computer at all. In fact, this forum takes up a lot of my time, just by clicking on it to see what people are talking about. I don't even use it to answer any of my questions anymore :P

and i have a quiz in an hour! ahh i gota go.
 
  • #17
Drimar said:
Are you smoking ?
smoking can help you relax.

siddharth said:
Smoking can kill you as well.

michaeltorrent said:
from statistics, no one dies while smoking.
unless you smoke in the middle of traffic.

Hahahaha! :smile: :smile: :smile:

Quickly, a medal for this one ! :-p
 
  • #18
You said it happened before. How did you deal with it then? What worked, what didn't?
 
  • #19
whuts good with smoking?

Anyway having a computer in youre room makes your school life easy unless you don't use it for fun ... when youre a software engineer just like me you shud be a computer freak... use it for your programming instead of playing...

Well i still graduated freshmen tho and was wondering which subject will i first take from basic computer programming C ? or C++? or neither of it?
 
  • #20
Equilibrium said:
whuts good with smoking?

Anyway having a computer in youre room makes your school life easy unless you don't use it for fun ... when youre a software engineer just like me you shud be a computer freak... use it for your programming instead of playing...Well i still graduated freshmen tho and was wondering which subject will i first take from basic computer programming C ? or C++? or neither of it?
I hope you would know this if your a "software engineer".

My college started with C++ others use Java, some use scheme or LISP.

Also being a "computer freak" isn't a good thing if you want to get past any type of interview with someone, they like social skills and hearing about what you do other than computer things so they know your not a "freak".
 
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  • #21
0rthodontist said:
This has happened to me before in high school and now it is happening again. When I am under too much stress I just zone out, playing video games and wasting time for 8 hours a day. This was responsible for a serious drop in high school grades. I thought I was over it when I did great in college up until now but now I am doing it again because of my software engineering class. Now, wasting time on watching animations and playing games is harming my performance in all my classes and I can't make myself stop.

Anyone have advice on how to stop this?

Hi, I had the exact same problem for quite sometime. I used to head straight for WoW, or just surfing the net whenever I felt stressed or overwhelmed by all I had to study. What helped me was just not one single thing, the secret is to come up with lots and lots of effective coping methods for stress. What helped me most was creating moderately risky (A goal too high is bound for failure and procrastination however a moderately risky goal is enough to leave you feeling accomplished), specific goals (Specific enough so you know WHEN you've accomplished the goal) for my studying and breaking my goals and work down into manageable chunks i.e. 30 minutes quality work followed by 30 minutes reward and doing this twice a day in the beginning and slowly increasing the frequency and time of each block.

I also recommend reading "The Last Self-Help Guide You'll Ever Need": http://www.homestead.com/flowstate/files/lastselfhelp.html"
 
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