Many of us experience that sometimes everyone seems too focused, but why are we struggling, even with a lot of hard work? Falling behind in your studies feels overwhelming and leads to stress and a lack of motivation. This can become the biggest barrier to your academic progress.
Studying hard is good, but you have to focus on some key strategies to manage the fear of falling behind, whether you are a school or a university student. This blog will guide you through the top reasons you may feel like you are falling behind and how to cope with this situation.
What are the Key Reasons for Falling Behind Academically?
You may be studying for hours and still feeling low, and you can’t focus on your studies. Learning for a long time does not necessarily mean you are working hard on it; your brain eventually stops focusing. The feeling of falling behind does not have a single cause, but some factors may significantly contribute to it.
● Psychological Factors
Doubting your capabilities and a lack of self-trust can be the bigger reason you feel behind. Comparing yourself with other peers celebrating on social media, or expecting impossible achievements can feel like failure even with good grades. The pressure of reaching a high milestone, even though you know you are not on the right path or track.
● Ineffective Study Techniques
Simply reading and re-reading your notes for long hours does not mean hustling, without smart studying and solving complex problems. Learning your lessons without understanding how to apply them to real-world problems cannot lead to significant results. You may buy assignment, but not mastering that practical problem may not benefit you.
● Mental and Emotional Health
The pressure to keep up with academic progress may lead to stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. Mental health issues can badly impact your studies. It can overwhelm you due to many commitments, difficult topics, personal issues, and not enough time for studying. Challenges to mental and emotional health can make your tasks ten times harder than they are.
● Lack of Structure and Planning
Students often struggle to manage their time for studying. Without proper planning and structure, it may be difficult to focus on learning or to prioritize tasks. Improper planning can lead to a heavy workload and overwhelm the study, which can also cause stress.
● External Challenges
People facing family problems, financial difficulties, or an unsupportive home environment can have difficulty focusing on their studies. Many students have a lot of work, including home chores or a part-time job, which also create a lot of hustle in managing their learning. External challenges often feel daunting and lead to mental instability that cause dificulty focusing on study.
How to Cope with The Fear of Falling Behind
Falling behind while studying hard does not mean that it is the end of your academic progress, but you still have a chance to overcome this battle. If you are working hard, it means you have a clear mindset and commitment; you just need the right approach. Here are the top five strategies you can use to fight the battle of this fear.
1. Manage Stress and Mental Issues
It is crucial to stop the spiral of stress and anxiety. Stressing out is okay when you are studying continuously. Don’t ignore your stress or avoid expressing those emotions; it will only make it harder to focus. Take breaks between your studies, stick to a healthy diet, and exercise regularly for a fresh mind during your studies.
2. Smart Techniques to Study
Stop re-reading the topics and test yourself in between with flashcards, problem-solving, and revising it aloud. Use pomodoro method (25 minutes study, 5 minutes break) to relax yourself. You can customize the time and walk, and drink during breaks to relax your nervous system. Set your schedule for a day to study and allocate that time only to focus on it.
3. Ask for the Help
You may get stressed out sometimes because you are not able to do it alone or are having difficulty managing it. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from your teacher, tutor, friends, or family who are there for you. If you are facing any difficulty in doing your assignment, you can also take dissertation help online.
4. Avoid Comparisons
Students may post their achievements on their social media or may share them with you. Stop comparing them with you, as everybody has their own progress, journey, and lifestyle. They have learned on their own path and also faced struggles to be in that position. Focus on yourself; you may get inspired by them, but don’t compare.
5. Stay Consistent
Once you start focusing and get a track, stay consistent with your studies. Regularly check your to-do list and keep track of your progress to check up on if you start falling behind. Plan your studies as if you have a busy week ahead, give more time to studies this week to reduce the load for next week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does studying seem hard?
Studying may feel hard at times due to a lack of motivation, an uninteresting subject, poor study planning, or stress from a heavy workload.
What are the reasons behind slow learning?
Many students have slow learning ability due to limited cognitive capacity, low IQ, poor short-term memory, lack of concentration, and weaknesses in information processing.
Why do students feel low after studying?
The brain is the 2% of our body, and when it consumes 20% of our energy during study time, our body may feel low. More energy (i.e., glucose) is consumed when you do more mental tasks
The Bottom Line
It creates anxiety and a depressive situation when you feel behind in your studies. You may feel heavy, and it seems difficult to climb the mountain. While feeling fear of falling behind when you are studying harder is a common issue, most students face. Coping with these issues and breaking down the problem can help you to go ahead.
Stressing, doubting yourself, expecting impossible achievements, unstructured planning, or other personal issues can affect your studies the most. Manage your stress and improve your mental health; plan your studies and set time; take help from family or teachers; don’t compare yourself with peers; and stay consistent with your studies for the best strategic approach. Falling behind is a common issue, but dealing with it is the real technique.
