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severe writing anxiety
I am a terrible procrastinator. I generally start papers a day or two before they're due, and I usually don't have too much of a problem with that. This semester, I'm taking a class in an unfamiliar subject and I'm finding it really hard to write. I'm currently in the middle of writing a paper that was due yesterday, but I am so stressed about the fact that I'm having trouble writing it, and on top of that, the fact that it's late and not even half-done. Every time I think about it, it triggers an anxiety attack. How can I calm down and get through this?
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Try drawing what looks like a web of thought balloons on a piece of paper. Yes, I'm going somewhere with this. Put the thesis statement at the top and in the other balloons put arguments and or ideas that back it up.
Pick 2-3 and begin your paragraphs with them as the lead (topic sentence) and argue that fact and then tie back to the original thesis. That's one way of doing it.
You have to pick a strong thesis and blocks to build from and tie it all back so it's irrefutable. Take your time and spend a a day or two on each paragraph, editing and making it well ahead of deadline.
I'm not a salesman but I tell anyone who asks me about writing papers the same thing get the book that has saved my rear for years called The Lively Art Of Writing by Lucille Vaughan Payne. You may have to special order it but by the time you finish it you'll have no trouble ever writing anything again. It's the bible to me at least on how to write.
Anxiety is stress and health related and while it creeps up more often than not when you are in this situation it needs to be seen to medically as it may hide a greater issue you need to nip in the bud before it's a bigger part of life.
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Do the work once the assignment is given , that is what I always do , trust me , it avoids all of the stress come to if you do the assignment the day before ! :)
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Try not to think of how much work is left, cause that will only freak you out. Remind yourself that you are an EXPERT procrastinator - you have done this before and can do it again!
Tell yourself to just sit down and finish. If you're feeling the writer's block really badly, make an outline of the rest of the paper you have to do, then just flesh it out. If you're stuck because you don't know something, jot that down and then research it online.
And when it gets down to the wire, I always tell myself to just write what I'm thinking, even if it's BS. Just get it down. You can edit later. Priority is finishing!
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