The Stress is begining to get to me.

Post Reply New Topic

I'm writing my masters thesis. I'm a military historian and I think i'm loosing it. Inbetween the long nights, the near leathal caffine doses, and my Marine Col. professor i'm beginning to feel the pressure.

Can't blame it all on my professor, One of his great abilities is he can tell when i've been pushed to far. Its just I'm starting to get a little too close to a melt down over the pressure.

I think the answer is simple. Sleep. It is not healthy to go for long periods without it. I find I am better able to focus on work when rested. Definitely feel more relaxed.

I went 9 years without taking blood pressure medicine due to no medical insurance and I have really high bloodpressure. All those years letting my blood pressure running wild took its tole on me. I now have bad kidneys with 80% function, an enlarged heart, and congestive heart failure, When I went to the hospital for not being able to breath well they told me my blood pressure was 270/110 and my lungs were filled with liquid. They almost had to put me on a breathing machine. I now take medicine to control my blood pressure but my insurance runs out in October.

How close are you to finishing?

kayef is right about getting enough sleep. I COULD NOT focus on anything when I was overtired. Remember, needing sleep is not a sign of "laziness"--it's a sign of exhaustion.

Planning out a schedule for myself helped to. I would put aside several hours (2-4) to research and write, then take a break and do something else: take a walk, nap, eat something--it's too easy to forget that, too--go on WP for a while (might want to set a timer for that one )--anything to give yourself a bit of a respite. Then, go back to your thesis work.

Trust me, you WILL get done--I did. Just don't forget to take time for yourself.

The stress is normal for everyone. That's the good news, because it means there are a plethora of places to find advice on dealing with it. My best advice is to sit down and set up a regular schedule for your work, and do a little bit of work each day. Even if you only work on your thesis for 30-45 minutes per day, the work adds up quickly. Set clear deadlines to finish key sections of your thesis, and make sure they're reasonable based on what you know about your own sense of productivity. Finally, stay in contact with your professor. If he's good at identifying when you're hitting your stress limit, then he can serve as a check on your own behavior.

Everyone gets stressed. Everyone feels at some point as though they won't finish. These feelings are natural and all graduate students go through them.

Wow, a master's thesis. You've come to far to quit now. Even though I am only fourteen, I have learned a lot about quitting and trying harder to succed, and I'm sure you have also. And the stress and pressure, always get enough sleep. If you don't, you'll just fall flat on your face, dozed off. Can't have that during an event as important as this. So keep going, take breaks, take time to sleep, do your best, and you should do fine. I learned a lot of this stuff the hard way...

Hey Redeagle,

If you ever want to discuss anything specific re: the thesis process, PM me.

Take care, and hang in there.