Overcome Learning Challenges with Math, Phys, and Chem

[DeathKnight]

Since the last 3 or 4 months I'm having a lot of trouble. I love phys, math and chem. I love them so that even when I go to bed to sleep my mind can’t stop thinking about them. But as I said before since the last 3 months, I can’t understand anything. When my teacher teaches me something I think about that too much and end up getting confused. Stupid and meaningless questions constantly come into my mind. Yesterday, I was thinking what do the numbers mean? If I read something new, I read it at least for ten times and still feel unsatisfied. As for the things I already know I write them again and again and again until I get frustrated.
I’m tired of it. These things are directly affecting my performance. I take a lot of times to solve questions. I discussed it with one of my teachers and he told me to see a psychiatrist. The problem is due to some reasons I don’t want to see one. Is there anyway to stop it or even reduce it. I don’t want to stop studying these subjects. I just want this thing to stop.

 

[Smurf]

Take a philosophy of knowledge course?

 

[Danger]

I just want this thing to stop.

It sounds very much to me like what I went through with ADD. I could grasp things intuitively, and figure things out on my own, but trying to follow a rigid teaching schedule was impossible. I didn't help that I was smarter than my teachers, because every time I pointed out a different approach to something I got **** for it. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 46, so it didn't help my education any. I'm willing to bet that this is a situation where Astronuc can help you better than most of us can.

 

[DeathKnight]

Take a philosophy of knowledge course?

I'm not at all interested in philosophy. In fact, I hate it.

 

[honestrosewater]

Not to alarm you, as I'm not at all an expert on this, and even if I were, you haven't given enough information to form an opinion, but the things you mention are not inconsistent with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (which may have some connection with ADD as well). I've actually read of those exact symptoms in OCD sufferers. You may just be having normal problems or going through a phase, but if the problems are seriously interfering with your functioning, you may want to take your teacher's advice and see a psychiatrist. Either way, it's great that you're confronting the problem now.
What kinds of questions are you talking about?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Is there anyway to stop it or even reduce it...I just want this thing to stop.

Mindfulness Meditation, Worldwide Online Meditation Center
Address:http://www.meditationcenter.com/connect/mind.html

Mindfulness.com
Address:http://www.mindfulness.com/index.asp

Meditaion is specifically aimed at reducing this kind of problem: thinking too much.


Honestrosewater: a book I'm reading (sporadically), The Mind & The Brain is by a Doctor who designed a program for OCD patients around this practise: Jeffrey M. Schwartz, MD. He was the first person to identify the exact circuit in the brain that keeps erroneously firing to make OCD sufferers constantly feel there is something wrong.

 

[heman]

ohhh yeah i also think Meditation can certainly be one of the gr8 options for throwing dirt out of the mind(well gibberish is too good!) and limiting thinking too much!

I have read a lot on Meditation but i was not myself able to decide which one to go for!
I think Les Sleeth is expert at Meditation,he is doing it for lot of time !

 

[zoobyshoe]

I have read a lot on Meditation but i was not myself able to decide which one to go for!

Toss a coin.

 

[arildno]

Since the last 3 or 4 months I'm having a lot of trouble. I love phys, math and chem. I love them so that even when I go to bed to sleep my mind can’t stop thinking about them. But as I said before since the last 3 months, I can’t understand anything. When my teacher teaches me something I think about that too much and end up getting confused. Stupid and meaningless questions constantly come into my mind. Yesterday, I was thinking what do the numbers mean? If I read something new, I read it at least for ten times and still feel unsatisfied. As for the things I already know I write them again and again and again until I get frustrated.
I’m tired of it. These things are directly affecting my performance. I take a lot of times to solve questions. I discussed it with one of my teachers and he told me to see a psychiatrist. The problem is due to some reasons I don’t want to see one. Is there anyway to stop it or even reduce it. I don’t want to stop studying these subjects. I just want this thing to stop.

Your brain has gone haywire by getting too much of the same type of info.
It would do you a lot of good to begin with something that takes your mind totally off math&physics. Sports is a good example.
It is unhealthy to get only one type of mental stimulation; begin to develop other interests than just the sciences.

(Sex is an even better suggestion..)

 

[honestrosewater]

Mindfulness Meditation, Worldwide Online Meditation Center
Address:http://www.meditationcenter.com/connect/mind.html

Mindfulness.com
Address:http://www.mindfulness.com/index.asp

Meditaion is specifically aimed at reducing this kind of problem: thinking too much.


Honestrosewater: a book I'm reading (sporadically), The Mind & The Brain is by a Doctor who designed a program for OCD patients around this practise: Jeffrey M. Schwartz, MD. He was the first person to identify the exact circuit in the brain that keeps erroneously firing to make OCD sufferers constantly feel there is something wrong.

Thanks, I'll check it out. I know some kind of meditation is a tool of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. But I've read that by far the most successful CBT tool for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention (what I'm currently doing). Do you know if the meditation tries to recondition responses?

 

[hypatia]

If you have never had a problem before, nor have you suffered any physical trauma{high fever or blow to the head} ADD is not the cause. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders can occur at any age, and the more stressed you become over it the more obsessed you become.
The Cognitive damage can be forgetfulness, poor judgment and concentration. And you may even feel preoccupied and find more errors in math and grammar, as your paying less attention to details.
Stress can occur at a very young age. And I agree with the above posts..you need to de-stress yourself.

 

[DeathKnight]

First of all, thanks a lot for the replies guys.

forgetfulness, poor judgment and concentration. And you may even feel preoccupied and find more errors in math and grammar

That is exactly what is happening with me. Moreover, I feel like I don’t know anything that’s why I write/say things repeatedly. I'm going to check the sites which zoobyshoe linked to. I hope they help to solve this problem...

 

[einstone]

If you're overwrought with work , a repose for a month to refresh yourself might help you. I took a break for a month three years ago when I was getting in low spirits & had overworked myself.
But if it's not that or a mental disorder, I wonder about you.
The questions which come to your mind may not be meaningless but too deep.(For instance, what numbers mean is too deep a question). Also, human knowledge has the nature of a fractal - the closer you look, the more you realize how little you know. If that's the reason of your discontent & why new questions come to your mind,you're a blessed soul! Welcome the question that strikes you (though it may sound "stupid & meaningless") - for it gives you an opportunity of another discovery & adds to your knowledge.
I don't see anything wrong in reading something over & over again
& not being satisfied. For instance,I've been studying quantum physics for 3 years & read the same texts & written my notes many times over. I know many fellow students who worked a hundred times more than I did & are still not satisfied.Feynmann said nobody understands it. None of these people suffered or suffer from any psychological disorder.
I can contemplate what might happen to a grade 9 student who starts thinking whether the axioms of Euclidean geometry contradict each other & questions the proof of every theorem ! ( I & a friend of mine once asked a mathematician what a 'proof' really means. He said, " Boys, you're too young to think about this.Study more maths & think about this when you're 'grown-ups'!".)
My message, in a word, is - dump the negative thoughts.
All the best!
I'm, with great respect,
Einstone.
P.S.- Have you read the book 'Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintainance' (by Robert Pirsig)? I think it can help & amuse you. The idea
of taking a course in epistemology is not bad,though you said you'd hate it.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Thanks, I'll check it out. I know some kind of meditation is a tool of Cognitive Behavior Therapy.

This particular Doctor doesn't believe Cognitive Therapy works on OCD because he doesn't believe it is a result of distorted thinking. He is certain there is a kind of "warning" or "red alert" circuit in the brain that is chronically going off without good reason. He, in fact, recorded this on PET scan images of the brains of OCD patients when they were exposed to the stimuli that normally set them off.

But I've read that by far the most successful CBT tool for OCD is Exposure and Response Prevention (what I'm currently doing).

He actually developed his whole thing as an alternative to this, his operative objection being that many people with OCD won't even try it: the notion is too upsetting to them.

Do you know if the meditation tries to recondition responses?

Yes. The first step is to get into the habit of mentally "observing" the obsessive thoughts, to be able to "sit back" and watch as the brain does this misfiring, without getting swept up in the false signal. His initial effort is to get the patient to firmly realize that the urge is invalid, an erroneously triggered alarm, while they are in the process of experiencing it. The result of this realization is the difference between living with a smoke detector you know is always going off by accident, and one that you never know is accidental or for real. When you firmly realize it is always going to be false alarm, it robs it of a great deal of its power. You can sit there for a whole minute letting the smoke detector whine when you know for certain it's a false alarm. It demotes the erroneous signal from emergency to annoyance.

That's as far as I've gotten, but it sounds like his final goal is to get to the point where the person can get the false signal itself to attenuate to complete silence.

 

[learningphysics]

Since the last 3 or 4 months I'm having a lot of trouble. I love phys, math and chem. I love them so that even when I go to bed to sleep my mind can’t stop thinking about them. But as I said before since the last 3 months, I can’t understand anything. When my teacher teaches me something I think about that too much and end up getting confused.

It seems like you might actually be understanding, but doubt that you actually understand. I've experienced this... it's not until I actually solved a related problem that I realized "I understood all along". I'm no doctor... but this seems pretty much like OCD. I had a similar problem in college when I'd constantly doubt that I was understanding the material. I'd be able to do the homework and tests, but I'd still doubt that I actually understood.

Unfortunately OCD may be blocking that mechanism that let's you know that you've understood... the doubt may be too great, and you're caught in a loop trying to prove to yourself that you understand. Each time you check, the doubt is reinforced.

Stupid and meaningless questions constantly come into my mind. Yesterday, I was thinking what do the numbers mean? If I read something new, I read it at least for ten times and still feel unsatisfied.

Your feeling of unsatisfaction may come from thinking that you're not understanding when you really are. Are you able to solve the related problems? If so, I think you're understanding just fine.

Don't concern yourself with understanding the material beyond the understanding it takes to solve the problems. Deeper understanding comes naturally over time.

 

[Clausius2]

Since the last 3 or 4 months I'm having a lot of trouble. I love phys, math and chem. I love them so that even when I go to bed to sleep my mind can’t stop thinking about them. But as I said before since the last 3 months, I can’t understand anything. When my teacher teaches me something I think about that too much and end up getting confused. Stupid and meaningless questions constantly come into my mind. Yesterday, I was thinking what do the numbers mean? If I read something new, I read it at least for ten times and still feel unsatisfied. As for the things I already know I write them again and again and again until I get frustrated.
I’m tired of it. These things are directly affecting my performance. I take a lot of times to solve questions. I discussed it with one of my teachers and he told me to see a psychiatrist. The problem is due to some reasons I don’t want to see one. Is there anyway to stop it or even reduce it. I don’t want to stop studying these subjects. I just want this thing to stop.

I am not joking: prove with sex. It is said it clears your mind.

 

[DeathKnight]

LOL I'm just in A'levels so I don't think I will get a chance to do that.

 

[Clausius2]

LOL I'm just in A'levels so I don't think I will get a chance to do that.

OOpps! Sorry. Try with doing some sport then. Or take a little holidays to forget about all that stuff. Last times I feel similar because I have been intensely studying last 5 years. Your brain seems blocked. 5-6 days of rest and doing different things will help you.

 

[Antiphon]

When was the last time you took a vacation?

In the working world this is called "Burnout".

Take a full week off somplace without books and equations.

 

[honestrosewater]

This particular Doctor doesn't believe Cognitive Therapy works on OCD because he doesn't believe it is a result of distorted thinking. He is certain there is a kind of "warning" or "red alert" circuit in the brain that is chronically going off without good reason. He, in fact, recorded this on PET scan images of the brains of OCD patients when they were exposed to the stimuli that normally set them off.

Just about everyone I've read agrees that there are biological and learned (behavioral) aspects. I get the sense that treatment is pretty straightforward: biological with medication, learned with therapy. Though I imagine therapy has biological effects, I haven't seen this emphasized anywhere.

He actually developed his whole thing as an alternative to this, his operative objection being that many people with OCD won't even try it: the notion is too upsetting to them.

Heh, yeah, it was very, very, scary for me - and I'm just starting.

Yes. The first step is to get into the habit of mentally "observing" the obsessive thoughts, to be able to "sit back" and watch as the brain does this misfiring, without getting swept up in the false signal. His initial effort is to get the patient to firmly realize that the urge is invalid, an erroneously triggered alarm, while they are in the process of experiencing it. The result of this realization is the difference between living with a smoke detector you know is always going off by accident, and one that you never know is accidental or for real. When you firmly realize it is always going to be false alarm, it robs it of a great deal of its power. You can sit there for a whole minute letting the smoke detector whine when you know for certain it's a false alarm. It demotes the erroneous signal from emergency to annoyance.

Okay, I've heard of this before but only gave it a meager try a long time ago. Knowing more about your disorder certainly helps you recognize it in its many forms and lessens the anxiety that arises from not knowing.
I can't find an easy way to explain why I think that is the wrong approach. I'll try later.

 

[zoobyshoe]

If you can imagine, it's like standing in front of a lion, knowing that it might kill you, staying calm, not running away, but stepping closer and closer to it until you can just walk right past it without being overwhelmed by anxiety. That you can know for certain that the lion isn't really there or can't hurt you is exactly what OCD sufferers want. It's exactly what we've been chasing. And it's impossible.

I know what you mean, I think. The "rational" understanding pales by comparison to the gut feeling.
While it's happening you're not at liberty to sit back and say "Oh, that's just that circuit misfiring again." Everything you normally can trust about your sense of things is telling you the lion is real. When all the correct and proper reactions to a wild lion have kicked in, your options are pretty much restricted to doing your anti-lion thing.

Anyway, the kind of therapy you're in has a good success rate, so long as you can get yourself into it, which you have. As I said, this doctor was moved by the fact that something like a third of OCD sufferers can't even bring themselves to try it. I can't recommend or not recommend Schwartz' thing, I haven't even finished the book, (plus any success reported in it is his say-so. You'd have to look up some patient recomendations or complaints to get an objective picture of the success rate.)

 

[honestrosewater]

I know what you mean, I think. The "rational" understanding pales by comparison to the gut feeling.
While it's happening you're not at liberty to sit back and say "Oh, that's just that circuit misfiring again." Everything you normally can trust about your sense of things is telling you the lion is real. When all the correct and proper reactions to a wild lion have kicked in, your options are pretty much restricted to doing your anti-lion thing.

(Woops, I didn't see your post before I edited mine.)
Sort of - but you don't have delusions. (That example was referring to the treatment.) You're fully lucid and rational and know what's real and what's not; You're just fighting your own brain and body, and logic and willpower don't work. You may as well be trying to use logic and willpower to prevent your knee jerk response.

Anyway, the kind of therapy you're in has a good success rate, so long as you can get yourself into it, which you have. As I said, this doctor was moved by the fact that something like a third of OCD sufferers can't even bring themselves to try it. I can't recommend or not recommend Schwartz' thing, I haven't even finished the book, (plus any success reported in it is his say-so. You'd have to look up some patient recomendations or complaints to get an objective picture of the success rate.)

If you're actually interested in OCD, the book I'm reading is dead on. You can read part of it on amazon:
I've given up trying to explain it for now, because it just doesn't come across right. Dr. Grayson does a great job though. The first 3 chapters (~40 pgs.) give you a good idea of what it's like to live with OCD.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Sort of - but you don't have delusions.

Heheheheh. I understood it was a metaphor.

I've given up trying to explain it for now, because it just doesn't come across right. Dr. Grayson does a great job though. The first 3 chapters (~40 pgs.) give you a good idea of what it's like to live with OCD.

Thanks, because this particular book I'm reading isn't really turning out to be about OCD at all, but more this guy's theory of the mind. He happens to talk a lot about OCD because it represents a certain kind of problem he's interested in.

Anyway, the meditation/mindfullness is highly reccomended by everyone who seriously tries it, for its general benefits, regardless of whether or not it works on problems like OCD. It definitely cuts down on the phenomenon of non-stop thinking.