Few things, beside tax and death, are guaranteed in life. Outside those things, nothing is guaranteed. In your career and education or even personal life and finances, at least one thing will go wrong. I, for one, know this for sure. I went back to school last year and it was both the most challenging and exciting decision. I looked forward to it but the stress levels can be out of this world considering the two kids, husband and career.
So what do you do when you hit a dead end and feel like it is irrecoverable?
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Stay Calm
Do not panic. There are very few mistakes that honest, well-intentioned people can make that are unrecoverable. However, remaining calm is extremely difficult when facing certain university problems. This requires a great deal of faith and self-confidence in yourself and bettering your circumstances. The more university problems you circumnavigate, the easier this becomes. Think of this “unrecoverable dead end” instead as a new “imposing obstacle”, a challenge to be met and overcome. When you say something can’t be done, you are right. If you say something can be done, you are also right.
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Adjust your expectations
University is much more difficult than high school and if you are a person who has a barrier; it may be a bit frustrating and taxing to come from a high school environment where you were acing all your subjects to perhaps failing 2/3 of your subject or modules. If you are a career person and stepped into studies, it can even be harder failing on paper.
Remember not to compare yourself to other students or individuals. Be prepared for things to be tough and taxing. It will not be easy; you will be in for a rude awakening.
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Ask someone for help
Have someone you trust look at the problem and see if they can see a way out. A mentor is great for this and can help you reflect and reframe your perspective on things.
Find someone that can help you circumnavigates the problem and apply a different way to see it. A fresh pair of eyes can work wonders.
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Appeal for mercy
Get in touch with the people responsible for placing the obstacle in your way. They are human beings too. Appeal to their compassion and explain your situation to them. They will usually do the best they can for you. At the first sign of trouble, some of us want to run or crawl under the table and disappear… it is at this time that it will be character building to show yourself and rise above.
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Do something to destress
Get rid of some stress and sleep on it. If you have found a good way to deal with stress, this is the time to use it.
Do your relaxing activity until you feel the stress gone. Then take a long sleep with no alarm.
When you wake up the next morning or later that day, you will look at your problem much more clearly and be able to face the challenge with new energy and vigour.
So be optimistic!
It is unlikely that your problem really is the end of the world. There are lots of paths that lead to success and happiness. So what if your plan did not work perfectly; make a new one and keep moving forward. Every step forward is a step closer to your goal. Just keep focused on that goal, and find a new way to get there.
Never give up! No one ever did something great in life by giving up!