I am a Class X student. I was a bright student till Class VI. But after that I became very poor in my studies. At first I thought it was because my classmates avoided me. So I changed my school this year and I still feel lonely; I feel like screaming. When I am alone, I do my best to study for my exams. But nothing gets inside my mind. I don’t know what the problem is, please help me. I want to score good marks and I am afraid of the board exams this year.
I can feel the frustration you are going through to get a good score in Class X. Frustration is the interference with the attainment of a goal. Let’s see how you can handle your frustration. There are two types of frustration — hostile frustration and instrumental frustration. In hostile frustration, we displace our frustration onto others and the environment. In this way, we make others responsible for our setbacks. It is found that when people experienced success they own it and mention that they alone contributed to their success. But when encountering failure, people usually mention various external factors which led to the failure. It is important that we become aware of our thoughts and feelings while we experience the down curve.
Frustration also leads to aggression, and hence it is important to be aware of how we are handling our frustration. When we handle our frustration by taking responsibility for our actions and results, then frustration becomes instrumental for our success. In instrumental frustration the energy is used to foster development. Hope this information about frustration is helpful. Remember that instrumental frustration, helps us move forward, while hostile frustration restricts our growth.
Hence I suggest that you make your frustration instrumental to bring out the best of resources available to you. For example, you did well in Class VI. See what you did differently then and replicate the same in a new way. One more reason I see as a cause for your struggle is the obsession to score well in Class X. Forget that you are studying for marks. Focus on your subjects to understand and learn. Also bring joy to the process of learning.
This frame of reference will ease your struggle and help you absorb what you are learning. Once you get a grip on your understanding and involvement in studies, then you can think of adopting strategies for good marks. This way, your energy will be used for your success.