Had my worst practice flight yet

Sixth hour of flying after taking a month off due to work and it felt like any nascent “feel” I had for the Cessna 172 just melted away.

For the first time ever I panicked a bit when I applied too much power while taxiing - which is silly, I did this just fine the last two times! Once we were up, I couldn’t find the right amount of pressure to apply on the yoke on descents or climbs. I kept applying the trim badly. Everything my CFI told me felt like it was going in one ear and out the other no matter how hard I tried to apply what he was saying. Oh, and it was windy in Maryland so it was my bumpiest ride yet - at least I didn’t freak out about that.

My CFI is polite, but firm and direct - this why I picked him - and while he’s always supportive I could tell he was a bit annoyed. Anyway, I’ve committed to going back up 3 times a week to try to shake this off and you know, I didn’t die so I’ll count it as a victory. Just surprised how fast any competency for the plane just disappeared after a short break. Is that normal?