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Published on July 14, 2007 By lifehappens In Blogging
WOOO HOOOO! I am finally done with this semester! Finally, the nightmare is over. Actually, it wasn't that bad, but my fluff class was hard and the other was a lot of essay work and HORRIBLE exams. I can't express the level of irritation I felt with my Philosophy instructor. I think he made his exams impossible just to see if anyone would quit. You were timed and had one question pop up on a screen. Once you answered, you could not go back. Oh, and he never posted how many questions there were! Stress!

Even though I bombed the midterm and barely passed the final....I am walking out with a decent 86% (I'm guessing because the last 2 essays are not graded yet, but that's the worst likely case based on previous grades) I suppose the massive quantity of time I put into the 16 freaking essays in 8 weeks paid off. But my stress level is much lower now that I am done.

Actually I do want to brag....even though I had a 53.6 % on my midterm and a 64.32% on my final, I still beat the class averages.. 49.3% and 42.3% respectively.

In high school, I would have been stressed out because I "only" got a B in the class. Even a few years ago, I would have really made myself sick with worry and frustration. Maybe it's the fact that I nearly have 3 decades under my belt or that motherhood has mellowed my perfectionism, but I found myself surprised at the level of calm I felt in the face of failure.

Go figure. I guess that it is harder to admit our weaknesses than it is to "fake" perfection. It takes a lot more effort to pull off the perfect standards but it's much harder to let it go. Yet, after you let go of perfectionism, life gets a lot less easier. I'm not so picky about my lawn being perfectly mowed or my kids being immaculate. I'm getting better at forgiving myself for being a slob occasionally.

So what stresses you out? Have you been able to let go of stress in your life? What was it and what made it so hard to give up?

Comments
on Jul 14, 2007
motherhood has mellowed my perfectionism


How true. I go through phases where the house is trashed, but my kids are happy because I've been neglecting the housework to play with them...while other times I let the baby scream and the toddler whine a *little* too long because I'm hot and heavy into scrubbing the kitchen floor.

The thing is, with tiny children in the house, one has to have OCD to keep the house anywhere near clean.

It's a balancing act.

Speaking of balancing things, how on EARTH do you take a Philosophy class on top of being the sole guardian of your children, taking wedding photos, going to the gym, giving massages, renovating the house single-handedly, and all the other things you do...?

I recall you've told me that you just do one thing at a time, but it's still amazing.

Oh and I should answer the questions you posited: Yes, I keep stress to an absolute minimum by trying to keep my activities focused on what's of most immediate importance. But I'd sure love to do a lot of other things. See, I get stressed out over the tiniest things, for example I had an anxiety attack (hyperventilation) at a stupid Tea Light Candle lame-o housewife party the other day because there was just too much going on. Everyone's different. While I need to minimalize my activities to reduce stress, maybe you prefer to pick up the pace to avoid the emptiness that maybe you're worried will be there when you rest. I dunno. It's 3am and I'm babbling.
on Jul 14, 2007
Well done!  and it has not mellowed anything, motherhood has taught you the true priorities in life!  Not that anyone needs or can tell you that.
on Jul 15, 2007
I should note...the other class was a 94%....

But the thing that gets me REALLY irritated. The syllabus clearly stated that the 13th was the last day of class. So I worked hard to get done in time.The instructor just sent an email reminding us that all work must be in by the 20th...

Jerk.
on Jul 15, 2007
Speaking of balancing things, how on EARTH do you take a Philosophy class on top of being the sole guardian of your children, taking wedding photos, going to the gym, giving massages, renovating the house single-handedly, and all the other things you do...?


Simple. I only do one thing at a time....sort of.