[Story] My recent small success

I just wanted to share my small success recently. I feel that a lot of this sub is full of motivational posters and quotes, which is awesome, but there's not as many stories.

A few months back I posted to r/LifeProTips about being awesome at studying. Well, it seems I can dish out the advice but not take it on board myself.

Recently I've been struggling with motivation/discipline, and suffering with stress at university. I've been feeling overwhelmed and the pressure of getting good grades has been too great. I've been having mini breakdowns and can do nothing but sit and cry. All the motivational quotes I read about having 'one life and not wasting it' would set me in a panic that life was moving too fast and no matter what I do, I'm always wasting time.

I finally decided that I'd do something about this, as it's not necessarily normal to feel this anxious, so I went to the doctors. They prescribed me meds for anxiety. I have to go back for a check up soon and to get another prescription.

The meds kicked in a week ago and since then I've felt a wave of calm and control sweep over me. I've felt that I can handle things better, and will take it all one step at a time. I've always been a very organised person anyway, but I now feel in control, too. One task at a time, one day at a time.

Situations arise that originally would have made me crumble and fail, but I have taken the challenge one step at a time.

Since starting the semester I have had to force myself to work by using pomodoros. I've finally found that my optimal working balance is 20mins work and 10mins rest. But recently, I have found that I've been able to work without forcing myself with pomodoros. Last night, I found myself working until 2am purely because I felt like it. I felt so happy.

All because I decided that I needed help, and that I deserved help.

Not everybody on this subreddit has their lives planned out and is motivated to the max. Not everybody is successful at all times. I've always seen myself as a successful person. I'm still struggling, but nowhere near as much as I was before. I'm learning that it's okay to feel stressed, and it's okay to not succeed in completing everything, so long as you prioritise and get the most important stuff done.

If I can do it, you can too. Let's struggle through together, one step at a time.