The Student Room Group

How to break through that revision brick wall

We have all been there right? You have all your textbooks around you, notes laid out and as you are looking at it you think “Whats the point?”. It’s as if you have given up before you’ve actually started. You then start to get despondent and defeatist, in really bad situations this negative energy can spread into other subjects. This leads to the ultimate F**K IT.
So what is actually happening and how can we prevent it from killing our revision mojo? First we have to address why these thoughts are even entering our heads. The idea that we can’t achieve something is never plucked out of thin air, it is usually an accumulation of things that have happened in our environment. A throw away comment here, a negative piece of feedback there - it all adds up. Sooner or later you start to believe other peoples opinion of you.A perfect example of this is an English student of mine, let’s call her Jo. Jo would write a piece for me, we would discuss improvements and I would always get back from her “I just can’t do it, I’m not good at this type of writing”. We would practice more, but would always get to the point where she would use “that” phrase. It was as if the phrase was blocking her from taking the next step. The phrase had her so scared that she refused to work past a certain point, it wouldn’t make a difference so there was no point going on. The phrase paralysed her. After hearing it for the tenth time I finally asked the question “Why do you think you aren’t good at this type of writing?” After much coaxing it turned out that her English teacher had told her once that her writing would never be “sophisticated” enough for an A*, and he always used the same girls work as an example of sophistication. All that time Jo had been trying to write like this other girl and not herself.One statement had caused a brick wall that she couldn’t break through. We all build brick walls that hold us back, it is just that some people are better at breaking through them. So once you have identified your brick wall how can you smash it? There are a few things that you should remind yourself of.Address the “What’s the point?” - Think about the end goal and remember it can’t be achieved by quitting.
We are all different - You can’t judge yourself by someone else’s standards. Let them worry about themselves, you just focus on you.
Someone else’s opinion of you does not define who you are or what you can achieve - no one knows you better than you - not even your teachers.
You are fabulous and can totally do this, trust me - How do I know this? Well, the very fact that you are reading this means that you are already putting in the work to break down your wall. Once it is down success is the only way to go.
Success is hard work, but nothing that is worth having comes easy. It may feel like you are getting nowhere fast, but just stop and breath for a moment. You need to realise that you’ve been climbing the up hill - but you will reach the top one step at a time.Ok, so now you have worked out how amazing you are, you’ve broken down the wall and are ready to go, where do you go from here? The best thing to do is take a fresh approach. Be organised and get it done. Try this four step approach to get back on track.Systemise - Organised your time, use a diary, timetable, app or whatever. Make sure to include the specifics of what you are doing and when. This should include chill time - relaxation is very important.
Habitualise - Make study a habit. Now, this will take a while to establish, approximately 21 days, but if studying at set times in a set place becomes a habit it will feel a whole lot easier.
Perseverance - There will be hard times but you have to push through. If you mess up and miss a session don’t just throw in the towel and say “This is not working”. Just pick it back up again the next day like it didn’t happen.
Belief - I can not stress this enough - you have to always remember it. There is nothing that can’t improve with hard work, so never give up on yourself. Be your own biggest fan.I know it is hard but it is worth it. As for Jo my English student, we managed to break down her wall. She started writing as her authentic self, and much to her surprise started getting A*s for her work. She constantly works to make sure the wall doesn’t build back up. So everyone, let’s get out our sledgehammers and start breaking down some walls, and once they are down lets keep it that way. Happy smashing!
Original post by Jade CMinds
Well, the very fact that you are reading this means that you are already putting in the work to break down your wall.

the fact that I'm reading this is the exact reason why I'm not putting the work in - I'm too busy wasting time:colondollar:
Reply 2
Well - think of it this way - you are already out of bed. That puts you ahead of 70% of students already. Keep going - shut the computer and open the books - put your phone in another room and start by dedicating 20 mins. Good place to start. Good luck.

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