What It Means To Be Gaby: Not Letting Your Problems Defeat You

                                             

Everybody has to face the obstacles life throws at them, and although at times it may seem impossible to get through something it is still possible. What it all comes down to is your attitude and the way you deal with the obstacles before you. Many will give up or avoid the problem.

 You can do all that you can to avoid something but it will always pop up and remind you of its existence. It will absolve you and you will get stuck in a rut. Trust me, I know.

When I was going through the dreaded adolescent period I kept to myself. All the problems I faced in my everyday life I tried to avoid and would not speak of. Eventually it came to a point where I just blew up and realized that the way I had been handling everything was not healthy.

For years I had struggled in school and although I felt I knew just as much as the top students did my grades did not reflect it. My parents would ask me about my grades and why I was slacking off, but the truth is I was overwhelmed with everything that I would forget about small assignments and either turn in my work late or not turn it in at all. When I was studying I was determined to stay focused but my mind would wander off. Even if there was nothing to distract me such as a television or music, I would still drift away into my thoughts.

It scared me that I could not get myself to do what needed to be done, but I did not like the idea that there was something wrong with me. So what did I do? I started to stay in the library to do my work and get help from my friends on the subjects I was struggling the most. Sometimes I would even spend my break time with teachers who went over the material with me. Even with all of the extra time I had been putting into my work I was not where I wanted to be.

Eventually I had had enough. One night my parents were questioning me about my grades and why I was not where I should be and I broke down. I could barely get myself to say that I was trying my hardest and that I thought there were was something wrong. So since I could not get myself to talk about it I wrote them a letter about it.

In my letter I told them that there was something off, that maybe I was just not as smart as I had thought. Maybe I was not built to go to college. If I was incapable of keeping up with the AP students then maybe I did not have what it took to be something greater.

It was heartbreaking thinking that I had the potential but could not display it. I thought that I would have to find some other way to make a living since the road to receiving a well-rounded education proved to be too difficult for me.

After reading my letter my parents took me to see a doctor who diagnosed me with ADD and anxiety. Once I had been diagnosed things started looking up.

Took me a while to find out what worked best for me in regards to school but ever since then my overall performance had improved. At my first year in college I performed better than I did in high school.

Some people wonder why I am not one of those college students that wastes their day and studies all night. Well, after the struggles I faced trying to get into college I will not waste my hard work by screwing around. I have changed.

Now I spend hours and hours in the library. I even joke with people telling them that the library is my second home.

School is my top priority now. If I am not finished with an assignment due the next day do not ask me if I can hangout, because I will not risk my grade for a day of shopping or a school dance.

My first semester people were amazed that I was so ahead of the game. I took advantage of my syllabus and did my work ahead of time. People thought I was such a nerd and would make fun of my overly studious behavior, but in the end it all worked out. Midway through the semester I had a lot of free time on my hands since I was ahead in my work. I took that time to enjoy the rewards and kick back.

Second semester was not so pleasant since my professors did not have a list of the assignments we would be working on prepared. Instead they would assign them in class and I was forced to work on assignments in a short period of time. Still I made it through the semester in one piece. Although I do not agree with the grade I received in science I did my best.

Anyways, the point is I would not be the student that I am if I had let my problems with learning get the best of me. Had I not told my parents what I was feeling then I would probably still be stuck with the idea that I am incapable of many things. But I faced the problem and although it is still a struggle, it is one that is becoming less and less difficult. I made it through the first year of college which is something I once thought I could never do.

We may all have our different problems to deal with but we also have the strength to deal with them. And if we alone cannot deal with the problems before us it is never a bad thing to ask for help. If you do everything in your power to try and deal with the problem and nothing has changed, help may be the only chance you have to deal with it.

So do not avoid your problems or be ashamed of asking for help. Overcome the obstacles that get in your way and do not accept defeat, because you are stronger than you think.