When anxiety and stress reach high levels, creativity diminishes. Balancing school, work and the stress of family life can be incredibly daunting and difficult.
Research has shown that most college students who have full time or part time jobs struggle to keep up with assignments, essay-writing projects etc. For some, the sheer thought of starting or finishing an essay or paper is simply mind numbing. This might be due to the following reasons:
- Procrastination: Perpetually postponing the start date of your essay is the easiest way to set yourself up for failure. Being on the wrong side of a deadline diminishes your control over the situation as well as the quality of your work. This leads to the next problem in point number two.
- Writer’s Block: This isn’t a myth. I know what it feels like to stare at a blank screen just wondering where to start, what to say, whether to throw in the towel. Beads of sweat form on your forehead and your underarms prickle with unbearably damp heat. At this point, most people plunge into depression and anxiety, which brings me to my third point.
- “Perhaps, I am incapable of writing anything worth reading,” they moan. For some, they harangue themselves for even writing down the little they have on paper. How can they make their essays perfect? Can their essays or papers impress the professors? These unhealthy thoughts lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress that send them back to square one, The last thing you want is to waste time and energy that could have been spent working on other academic activities.
If you are experiencing any of the aforementioned emotions, there is no need to be ashamed. These are perfectly normal emotions. Stress and anxiety can be managed and overcome. The first step to take is this: exhale. Then ensure that your expectations are reasonable and realistic. Find out if you need to reestablish a more realistic academic work-life balance. Are there aspects of your lifestyle that impede your academic progress? How can you change your lifestyle? Answering these questions will help you a great deal.
So how do you unleash the essay writer in you?
- Study the topic or the theme. Make sure you understand what’s expected of you. This will give you the confidence and strength you need to lounge into the project. If there are key terms you still don’t understand, ask your professors or course mates
Alternatively, you can read successful essays on similar topics. Some students are lucky enough to find these in their libraries. Others rely on one cheap essay or the other for guides and inspiration.
- Think critically about the points you’d like to discuss. Organize your ideas. Jot down important points so you won’t forget. Try out as many pre-writing techniques as you can.
- Start writing. The essay isn’t going to write itself. Start with an effective outline. This will give you a good idea of the essay’s direction.
As for starting the essay, you can start by introducing the topic and stating your thesis. Don’t be afraid to start writing with an informal voice. At the end of the essay, you can revise it and make the voice more formal. Answer obvious questions about the topic you intend to explore in your essay. You’ll be amazed at how much you’d have written within a short period.
- Take Charge: Always remain in control of your essay. This will help keep anxiety and stress far away. Again, being in control will help you write more compelling essays. Divide the essay into different components (Introduction, Middle and End). Also, divide each component into sub-components. Your middle, for instance, will have several paragraphs: each for a new argument. Taking the segments one bit at a time will make it easier for you to manage your essay.
- Be Disciplined: Eliminate all manner of distractions. Make sure you complete your prescribed portion of the essay before you leave your desk.
Don’t forget to turn off the editor/critic in your head. Write your first draft unhindered. Just write from your heart. Focus on getting the words out on the paper. You’ll have plenty of time to edit and revise your essay once the whole project is done. Editing while you write will interrupt your train of thoughts and waste your time.
- Get Feedback From A Professional: To ensure that every sentence in your essay is flawless and comprehensible; you might need to get feedback from a professional editor. This will help you fix common problems such as: wrong organization, weak arguments, wrong punctuations, wrong usage of terms, bad sentence structure etc.
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