Mad because I think I flunked: I think I... - Anxiety Support

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Mad because I think I flunked

teen_anxiety profile image
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I think I flunked my final and now I am mad because it's gonna make me look bad and I may flunk the class because of that meaning I may have to retake it and that will affect my plan and so on, and so forth.

I wish I did better in online classes so my teachers would know I am not stupid.

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teen_anxiety
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FriendlyDude profile image
FriendlyDude

Long response time! Your favorite, right? 😂 You could say I’m showing I care with quantity, and I hope the quality is just as good :) if both are bad, I still care and I hope that’s enough :)

The quote and the way you said you think your final results might make you look bad, and your teachers possibly thinking you’re stupid, all says that you’re human. Most, if not all of us care how we appear to others.

It doesn’t sound like you’re entirely sure you flunked your final. Are your results available yet? The thing about thinking you’ve flunked is that you don’t know until the score comes back. Sometimes I’ll be doing an assessment of sorts and feel like I didn’t do so well, but ended up with a good score. Other times I actually feel good about it but didn’t do as good as I anticipated. Then of course there are the times that my score actually reflects how I feel.

In all cases, what happened is what happened. The past isn’t something you can change. I can’t undo the fact that I didn’t do so good on an assignment a while back. When things have happened and are now history, the important thing is what you do about it. My history teacher told us last year something to the effect of this: “History doesn’t change, but our view of history does”

You can’t control what happened, but you can certainly choose how you’ll move forward.

One of the most powerful tools in a destructive mindset is “what if I had ...” or “I wish I ...“ and it’s because it focuses on the event, the things you did ‘wrong’ and overall it amplifies your negative feelings. Rather than thinking about what you could have done differently then, a constructive mindset focuses on what you can do differently now. It’s like what Albert Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” Think about how you can avoid that pattern. Whatever you did or didn’t do that resulted in possibly flunking the class, do things differently in an effort to make things turn out better next time :)

My philosophy is that I’m gonna live life the best I can. If things go sideways along the way, I’ll do what I can to move forward again. When I separated my shoulder last summer, that was one heck of an experience. Once I fell and realized that it wasn’t going to be a simple “I got a few scrapes, it’s all good” I evaluated my options of moving forward. Sitting there and thinking about how many people may have seen me fall off my bike and how stupid that may have looked wasn’t going to help me. I realized I had a friend who lived close by (constructive thinking) so I went there for help (action). They drove me home and I went to a doctor with my mom. When incidents come up, rather than focusing on what happened and whether or not it’ll affect social appearance, the important thing to think about is “what can I do now?” Or “how can I make this up?” Or something that promotes constructive, forward-oriented thinking and then action. Action is vital. In some situations, physical inaction can be the action you need too. It allows you to calm down so that you can think clearly enough to plan the most sensible course of action. For others, things like exercise, drawing, doing yoga, and other things can help them think more clearly. Whatever the case, do something that helps you think clearly so you can make as good of decisions as you can :)

You may have flunked your final, so what are going to do about it? You can talk to your teachers to see if there’s a way to do anything about it, you can learn whatever lesson life is throwing at you and move forward with increased vigilance, you can try to prepare more next time and make sure you understand the content of the class better, etc. etc.

You also mentioned about a plan you have. The best part of any plan is that it’s adaptable. Sure, you may have flunked a class, so how can your plan adapt to account for that? Is there a dual credit class that would allow you to earn that credit back? Is there a part of your plan that isn’t crucial to your goals in life that you can give up to retake the class? Or is the class itself something you can give up to focus on other important things? There are plenty of ways to think about this and make a plan of action :)

In sum, remember to use honest, forward-oriented, constructive thinking. Think about things that are in your control in the present, and try to let go and accept what you can’t. Whenever issues come up, look for a solution and get back on track. If undesired results come up, do things differently next time. If desired results come up, do more of whatever you did :) and overall, do your best and adapt to better handle whatever life throws at you :)

I believe in you, I hope this helps, and I wish you the best :)

teen_anxiety profile image
teen_anxiety in reply to FriendlyDude

thx

Nevertheless profile image
Nevertheless

We all make mistakes. It is not the end of the world. Even if you have to take the class again, you will have already learned something and you will probably pass it. Don't give up. It's okay

Nevertheless profile image
Nevertheless

Don't let anyone on here beat you up with their long disertations or examination of who they think you are. Take it easy. You will do better next time.. It is human to worry but give yourself a break. Like an ice cream or something. Lots of LOVE ,Trudy

Nevertheless profile image
Nevertheless

You are not stupid and your teachers do not think you are stupid. I have failed at lots of things but I keep going on until I find what will work to make it better. You are not stupid. Stop thinking like that. It's just a class! and you can always take the course again. Maybe you should study more or maybe get a tutor to help you. Ask you teacher how you could do better, That is what they are there for. Best of luck dear heart. YOu are not alone in your anxiety but you can manage it by doing a few things to make it better instead of beating yourself up. The most successful people in the world made major mistakes until they got it right. LOVE FROM MY HEART

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