Hello.. I am having trouble regarding my psychological aspect in school.. Recently, I am having worries of losing (eg. not being the top in Math subject) or even not to study math... Am I being too much competitive for this especially in contests? Please help. Thanks..
Easy Math Editor
This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.
When posting on Brilliant:
*italics*
or_italics_
**bold**
or__bold__
paragraph 1
paragraph 2
[example link](https://brilliant.org)
> This is a quote
\(
...\)
or\[
...\]
to ensure proper formatting.2 \times 3
2^{34}
a_{i-1}
\frac{2}{3}
\sqrt{2}
\sum_{i=1}^3
\sin \theta
\boxed{123}
Comments
I don't have the best advice to give, partially because I don't know you. I'm not sure if you are too competitive or not. But when in doubt drink more water, get more exercise, sleep more, and try to be considerate of the needs of other's; if only to take a vacation from your own worries.
In my experience, anxiety makes it harder to win and easier to lose at just about anything you try. I have always overcome my anxieties by deliberately accepting the prospect of failure. Usually that puts me in a mental place that is better positioned to win. Coming to peace with the prospect of failure is a courage that comes easier with age to be honest, and even then is not always possible depending on the stakes of success or failure. Ultimately, anxiety is just something you have to live with to a certain degree. And most people get better at it with age. Though some get worse.
Log in to reply
I Agree !
me too..
Log in to reply
Agree with you although I am a kind of person who thrives under pressure, anxiety pushes me to new levels. Don't reject the anxiety embrace it wholeheartedly and make it your fuel.
How do you identify yourself? If you identify yourself as, say, "I'm the best in math," then of course you'll take it hard when something happens to contradict this (like losing a competition). Some dramatically call such contradictions "ego death," because, in threatening your identity, your mind perceives the event as a threat to your life. I don't know if I'd go that far, but it's an interesting perspective.
A common remedy I've heard is to base your identity not on goals (e.g., "I'm the best in math") but on processes (e.g., "I'm the kind of person who works hard and learns from mistakes"). Easier said than done, admittedly, but it's solid advice.
Actually the best advice I can give you is 'Never say Die'