"I was what adults liked to call a hypochondriac, and what I like to call doing my goddamn best." That is going somewhere in my inspirational quotes list oh my god XD
and you can tell, easily, that Jessica is SMART, articulate, creative and generous. A lot of young people have their education stirred up and it suffers. I have a story that is just one small example, not as complicated as Jessica's. I feel ya. I must say, I would be utterly lost in school now. I dearly hope you get what you want, whether it involves exams or not.
It took me 7 years to finish a 4year degree program because i went through 2 life threatening surgeries and then had to deal with PTSD and depression..
Have you ever heard of a therapy tool called EMDR? I’m starting it on Monday for my depression and anxiety do to many health and mental “issues” like DV. I’ve heard that it helps but who knows.
My mum passed away while I was doing my A-levels so they weren't as good as I was predicted and didn't get into the Uni I wanted. BUT things have gotten better; I love the Uni I'm in and finally feel that I am reaching my potential.
I think it's really unfair how we're taught to base our entire lives on a set of exams, like...anything could happen. Absolutely anything. And it feels like the worst thing ever when the results come back. But it always works out somehow. Glad you're doing better. WIN ALL THE THINGS!
Claudia's story about the career advisor at the school telling her she couldn't pursue Architecture if she didn't do maths reminded me so much of my own story. The careers advisor basically told me that I couldn't study what I wanted because I was bad at one specific subject (I wasn't bad, by the way, I just needed to work much harder on that subject to get good results, which I actually did get). I was so disheartened that I abandoned my plans and applied for a completely different course at university. I ended up becoming depressed, dreaded going to lectures, and generally felt like I had lost control over where my life was headed. I wanted to drop out, but by the time I managed to express that sentiment out loud, 2 years had already passed. I was persuaded to finish my course, and I did manage to graduate (with ok grades), but I needed a lot of support from the university and my family and friends. But, my story has a happy ending because I actually managed to go back and study the course that I initially wanted, and I'm on my chosen career path and finally doing something that fulfills me. So 1) don't listen to people who tell you you can't do something, 2) it's never too late. I actually had people in my course that were in their 40s and have managed to graduate succesfully and start careers in a new field, all while juggling a marriage and family.
My career advisor told me that I couldn't take the basic science GCSE class because my brother was taking Chemistry, Physics and Biology so I must be smarter than basic science. I ended up having to take Chemistry and got a D. I excelled at Art and Music, while my brother excelled at Sciences and Math.
It is *NEVER* too late to study for a degree in something that interests you or that you are passionate about. A lot of students at my University are mature students and have families, marriages etc.
I do feel better having seen this. I was a top student who burned up and dropped out mid senior year and then tried college 3 x before giving up. Anxiety, undiagnosed lupus and a soupcon of PTSD got in the way, and yet here I am
Elena Christian exact same here! I suffered a burn out in the first year or high school instead of the last year. So glad with this comment section that we’re not alone
As someone who was only recently diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 27, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this video. I've been in uni on and off for the past 4 years and so far have no degree to show for it, and it's so rare to hear of others who are struggling but still trying very hard to succeed. I'm hoping to go back to uni for the 3rd time soon, and now knowing about my disorder (and working with a therapist to develop skills and habits to cope with it) I'm hoping to finally make significant progress and be well on my way to my degree.
@Gena Westberry Knowledge is key ( cliche I know) but now that you're armed with that information, it appears you are ready to chart a more suitable course for your journey. I wish you all the best in striving to accomplish the goals you set, and remember...third times a charm 😊👍
@@richardvelez3151 Thank you! I've seen a lot of "why am I like this" memes and always found them relatable... Now I know why! I already find that just being aware has made a massive difference in how I handle things outside of acadamia, so given that knowledge and the support system that I have now I'm confident that I'll have more success than I have in the past. And even if I do fall behind, I'll know why and to not be so hard on myself. I always just thought I was hopelessly lazy, but thankfully now I'm learning that I'm not lazy, just differently motivated, and knowing that you have a hurdle is the most important step in getting past it. Third time is the charm, after all!
Undiagnosed ADHD messed me up so many ways but I feel like half of it is the self esteem errosion of always being told how much I wasn't achieving my potential or that I needed to apply myself more (when I was doing my God Damn Best!) Diagnosis was a revelation and if you're not following the How to ADHD channel on YT you're missing out for sure.
Most of the folks in my grad school cohort were following nonstandard paths and it made for more awesome classes! (We had a grandparent in my cohort and he had really good insights.)
I was always a smart kid at school and was in all the top classes. Both sets of my SATS were all top marks, despite chronic pain (I was diagnosed with EDS at age 12). Then towards the end of year 10, my EDS became worse and I started to miss more and more school. Work was sent home for me but I found it hard to concentrate because of pain. Then came my GCSEs. I did my first one sat on a tiled floor at home as I’d sat down to put my shoes on then couldn’t get up 🤦🏼♀️ I failed most of them but passed English, English Literature, maths and art. At 16, I decided to go into work instead of going to college and became self employed, restoring antique mirror frames. Then the recession hit and the work wasn’t coming in so at 18, I got a job in a care home, looking after elderly dementia residents. Whilst working there, I was able to take NVQs and got to level 3, as well as passing other exams for dementia care, palliative care, first aid, diabetes, and lots more. I worked in care for 6 years and I absolutely loved it. Now I am unable to work due to my EDS as I have a lot of bed bound days. However, my point is, if your results are bad and you don’t want to go to college, there are lots of opportunities to further your education while you’re working. Bad results don’t mean you are not smart and they do not define you. You can still make something of your life with bad results and most importantly, you can still be happy 😃❤️
I had to withdraw before my exam years and then had to withdraw again when I headed off to tertiary education. Thank you for being amazing and talking about a non linear education experience.
@@lucyaw1815 it's lucky that you have a diagnosis already, hopefully you'll have systems in place so you can have the best outcome possible. But if it doesn't, there's always other options including resitting exams. Wishing you the best of luck (from another POTsie) 😊❤
"Plot twist: I was deaf" Haha, I totally get that French class. I failed out of Spanish because I sat at the back of the class and couldn't see the board (and thus couldn't follow along and totally lost). Kid next to me also couldn't see the board. We both went up saying we couldn't see- teacher didn't move us. The next year back we both came back to school with glasses. I'm a Spanish teacher now.
schools are honest to god so bad with students who have medical conditions. i loved learning, but for about six years i had reoccurring flareups of a horrible immune system condition that manifested in skin infections, so i was constantly in and out of school and on medication more or less constantly. despite having some of the best grades in the year and CONSISTENTLY providing letters from my paediatrician explaining my absences the school were ALWAYS on our ass about why i was ~mysteriously away~. but of course they were surprised when i decided to move elsewhere 🙄
This video is perfect because my psychologist has just been talking about me dropping subjects and doing 1/2 days etc for my mental health and I was concerned about how it would effect my grades because I’m bright. But but this video really eased me and made me feel better about that. Thank you xxx
My mom got diagnosed with cancer in my last year of school and I was already struggling hard with my mental health before that. Nobody cared at all about my situation and I barely managed to get through. After that life didn't became easier and now at 26 I start a new apprenticeship because I was also diagnosed with a physical disability 3 years ago and just can't work in my old job anymore. I get treated like an outcast for this decision by a lot of people, somehow like I'm lazy for doing this and waiting around until my program starts in late October. I've been home for two years now and I just can't stand it anymore.
people need to mind their own business. I'm sorry they treat you badly, but you're doing what is best for you. If you genuinely can't work, you can't work. I can't believe some people would call others lazy for that. What's lazy about learning to live with a disability and fighting everyday to achieve something hard for you that is easy for others? That's not lazy to me. The fact that you're still trying just shows that. I'm wishing you the best of luck in your apprenticeship and hoping you don't have to feel this way ever again
I had my heart set on going to Cambridge...applied, went to interview, got an offer that was exactly my predicted grades so I was pretty chuffed. Ended up getting AAB instead of the A*AA I was predicted so I was quite firmly rejected from Cambridge. This was only a couple of weeks ago so it still stings, but I hope one day I'll be able to look back on this fondly and remember that it wasn't anywhere near the end of the world.
It’s so hard to see the positives in situations like this. I hope you go to a uni that give you a great experience despite it not being your number 1. Good luck and enjoy it!!
Those are literally the exact same grades I was predicted, and the exact same grades that I got! This time last year, I found it really hard not getting the grades I wanted, and especially getting rejected from Oxford, but all I can say is over time it does get easier, and you learn that even though there was that painful experience, you and your academic career are not defined by it.
Wow Jessica, that is crazy! Wonky Education club 🙋🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ I was adopted at 8 so before that no one had bothered to teach me to read or write so I had to catch up quite quickly! I then struggled through school (spoiler I was really dyslexic but no one picked up on it- also couldn’t read the white boards because they use to write in green and red which made it hard to read for me. I got GCSE’s even though people thought I wouldn’t, I then went to college and got an unconditional to go to uni but my health started to deteriorate but again no one realised, my dad got cancer and the uni lecturer called me a drama queen (my kidneys were failing) I came home (didn’t ever finish my degree) I then joined the police but my health was worse and I was having what I thought were allergic reactions and again no one realised how ill I was getting! Long story short I was working as an art consultant at an art gallery and I ended up driving 50 miles home while my kidneys were at complete end stage renal failure and I then ended up in A and E where they told me my kidneys had failed, after a year off I retrained to work in Education and I now (after my maternity leave) will look at doing more qualifications to do a more teaching role! Never too late I’m 33!
Anony User I would have to copy from the person next to me even if I sat at the front, also I would get told off for talking but I was actually asking what the board said all my report from end of year would say need to talk less in class! 🤦🏻♀️👍🏻🤔😞
may i just say that I'm so happy I discovered your channel? like oh my gosh. thank you for blessing this world with your existence and being the most wonderful, sweetest, strongest, inspiring and kindest person i've ever met. truly. you're like a living angel. you've made me appreciate life so much more. you giving off the most positive energy contributes me with the most positive energy. you are a person to be real appreciated, so hopefully you and people around you are appreciating you the way you deserve it and are treating you with lots of love. thank you and have a wonderful day ♥
I didnt know about SATs until this video, I feel like I've heard Americans talking about them before but that might've been something different that just sounded similar
The SAT is very different in the US! To vastly oversimplify, it's a third party administered test that sorta determines suitability for higher ed. (There's a competing test called the ACT. I took that one because the testing fee was less expensive, though at the time fewer schools recognized it.) We take them close to the end of high school, though they aren't required to graduate. But lower SAT/ACT scores don't exclude students from access to higher ed, they just lead people to take different educational paths (like starting at a community college and transferring to a university). It's very convoluted, and there are some universities that don't take those scores into account anymore. I'm American and I still think it's wild.
Hi Jessica and family. I have a condition called idiopathic intercranial hypertension, where I produce too much csf and have to have lumber punctures to drain the excess and relieve the pressure on my brain. This causes a lot of pain/headaches. A lot of people brush these, and migraines, off as ‘just headaches’ and don’t realise how much else it effects, like all our senses going weird, (I go blind, deaf in one ear and can’t feel/control my limbs and my speech is distorted). Thank you for raising awareness in such an approachable, friendly and stylish way From kat x
I've never got the hang of which "year". I took CE when I was 13 and that got me into my next school where we started in 3rd form, (followed by 4th, 5th, lower 6th and upper 6th for A levels.) University was an enjoyable waste of time.
Yeah, and KS3 SATs were scrapped some years back, but a lot of schools in England still use similar end of Year 9 tests which has caused some confusion (and some ignore end of KS2 SATs and just do a test at the beginning of Year 7 and use it even though they shouldn't for GCSE predictions). Keeping track of all the exam varieties and changes just in England is confusing enough before we add in the rest of the UK and as someone who wasn't raised in UK, it's all a mess to me.
Thing a: could you do a tutorial eventually on your hair? It’s fantastic! (The updo) Thing b: this video honestly really helped me feel a LOT better about my school stuff. I can’t go back for a couple semesters because of money and also chronic illness and it’s been really messing with me. Thank you! Your videos are a godsend and you deserve the best!
Canadian Harry Potter fan: so that's like the OWL's... I was lucky in that I was not particularly sick while in school. In have ADHD but I am also hyperlexic (I laughed when you mentioned it.) But I wasnt dealing with the chronic pain and chronic fatigue that keep me from doing much these days and cause a lot of brain fog and aphasia that I struggle with now. I struggle with the fact that I can no longer do the one real thing I trained for as it's too exhausting. (Daycare). In addition to talking about education I'd love to see you talk about changing career fields as an adult. Because personally I'm stumped.
Hated school with a passion had a horrible time. Bullied by kids and teachers cos I had problems with my dyslexia (thou wasn’t diagnosed till I was 20) failed most of my GCSEs use to pray everyday my school would burn down. Had to re take my GCSES at college then got to uni to do my nursing diploma for the first 2 years then my last year got to transfer to the degree level so there was hope for me in the end xxxx
@Kathylou1 Sometimes it is not about overcoming or 'pushing through' but identifying, managing, and accepting. Once you achieve that, your goals will be within reach and anything is possible....which you seem to be realizing now. Good luck with your journey ahead 😊👍
I am not alone..... This brings back sad memories out into the open, where they should always have been, of how I sat one of my final University Psychology papers the day after a miscarriage. I remember the blue dress I was wearing, the cramps in my stomach, putting my ID at the top of the paper, and then.....nothing. I wrote nothing....for the three exam hours. This paper was a third of my results and I handed up a blank answer book. Amazingly I passed my degree but didn't get the marks I had hoped and worked for. That taught me never never again get married, get pregnant [by mistake on honeymoon], move house and sit University finals all in the space of three months. And I never told anyone for years what had gone wrong. Only my husband knew. It was so lonely. So I applaud your 'my exams went horribly wrong' video.
Just got my GCSEs results and I didn't pass my English language and maths which I needed to be able to do the B-tec I wanted to do but when I went in to enroll to college, expecting to have to do a level 2 instead of a level 3, they told me that if I promise to work hard they can offer me a level 3, tbh I almost cried when she said it, some times people who know that they're going to pass don't understand even when working hard some of us still don't know what our future holds with our grads. So hold on and you might just find a way
My dad was active duty US Air Force when I was a kid, so we moved around a lot. For K-12, I attended seven schools, which didn't exactly make things easy as the US doesn't have a national curriculum, and each state can teach whatever they want in any order they want. And then I had all of my medical issues. Between dislocated kneecaps, migraines, concussions, ulcers, and slipped discs (not to mention the back surgery for the slipped discs), I missed a lot of school. I spent all of 8th grade in a wheelchair, was on a total homebound schooling program for 9th grade, had back surgery, and then did 10th grade on partial homebound before returning to school fulltime in 11th grade. I (somehow) still managed to graduate magna cum laude with a GPA of 99.03 (we used a 100-point scale at the high school I graduated from for some reason??? rather than a 4-point system like literally everyone else??), a rank of 27 in my class of 604 students, and was a National Merit Commended Student. I was on track in undergrad to graduate a year early but another disc slip made me take a semester off, so I graduated in 3.5 years instead of 4. After a semester's break (because my schedule had been set back by that semester I missed), I was ready to start grad school. And then a month before I was supposed to start, I slipped more discs in my back and had to have a second back surgery, which delayed my starting grad school by a whole year. Two weeks into my first semester of grad school, my kneecap dislocated again, and I broke my ankle. My (incredible and wonderful and amazingly kind) mother moved from Texas to Illinois to sleep on my couch and take care of me so I wouldn't have to drop out of school. I'm now in my second (and final) year of my master's program and two years "behind schedule." However, I met two of my absolute best friends in the world at my grad school orientation, which I wouldn't have gone to if I'd started a year or two before that. I spent a lot of time beating myself up about not getting higher SAT/ACT scores and not achieving a higher honor level in the National Merit Scholar program (which is dictated by SAT scores). I look back now, though, and realize how much it didn't matter at all. I got a full-tuition scholarship for undergrad with a stipend because of my academic record, and I got into the number one school in North America for my master's program. I'm also (I think) a fairly strong candidate for the PhD program I'm applying for in a few months. Sure, it would have been cool to say that I was a National Merit Scholar or that I had been valedictorian of my class, but with all of the medical issues I had (plus undiagnosed ADHD and anxiety), it's a fucking miracle that I managed to do everything that I have. I tied up so much of my self-worth in my ability to be the best student in my class and my academic achievement as a whole, and I held myself to a ridiculously high standard that was simply not achievable for me, particularly with everything going on. It all seemed like the end of the world when it happened, but I absolutely love where I am now and am genuinely really excited about my future.
Hhhhh your school journey is so relatable. I’ve struggled with pretty severe depression (now managed) since... I don’t even know. Probably started as a kid. I barely graduated high school, took a year off before college/university (I’m in the US). I was enrolled in college for a fall semester and like a month of the following spring semester before I had an breakdown and withdrew and didn’t return until I was roughly 22. I’m 24 now and doing pretty well! Just applied to nursing school! So like moral of the story for anyone who needs to hear it: Take your time and take care of yourself. School will be there when you’re ready and able!
My university years were so bad, I actually never got to finish - but it isn’t bad! I developed horrible agoraphobia in my second year and it held me back. I ended up developing panic disorder as well. I broke my knee twice, and ended up homeless my third year, I lost my father at the fourth “year” (it had been 7 years by then). I also broke off an engagement. I ran out of federal aid (maxed out my loans) and had to just stop going. I was studying computer science though. I wanted to be a developer so bad. I ended up pushing for it even without my degree, and made it into my field! I now lead after 3 years and it’s a wonderful place to be. The only downside is I live in the US, and with my healthcare, I can’t afford to pay off my loans properly. But I’m happy, and I’m doing much better than I ever imagined.
i actually just dropped out of school this year. i went to university for one year and my mental and physical health pretty much went off the rails, so i couldn’t do as well as i or my parents were expecting. i’ve decided to put school on hold indefinitely until i recover and am in a place in my life where that can be an option for me, but being 19 at home, i’m under a lot of pressure to get a job and contribute something to the family if i won’t be in school. i understand that and i think it’s reasonable, but i just don’t feel very supported in my journey, and i feel like everyone is disappointed in me for making the decision i did. i would like to just have some time to relax and gather myself and recover, but it’s always assumed by my family and friends that i just want to be “lazy”, and it’s hurtful. i want more than anything to contribute something and not be pretty much expendable in the household, but i can barely function properly these days, and the lack of support makes it hurt even more. i know this comment is all over the place aishsjsgsjdbdk but i hope things start looking up soon. for me, and for anyone else who may be in a similar position.
I didn't get any kind of diagnosis until my mid-20s. I didn't even think to see a doctor for most of my symptoms really. So now that I know about my various conditions it makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE why my grades after grade 6 were absolute garbage and why I graduated a year late. I went to college for cosmetology years after high school, and with my horrible untreated anxiety and a heart condition(still undiagnosed, we just know something is wrong), after working a year in a salon I went on stress leave which then turned into disability assistance. Now I'm going back to college in 2 weeks for business administration with my second year in marketing at a school that has a dedicated disability team. I get the use of an exam room that's completely quiet to help with my ADD, my instructors are very forgiving of missed classes for medical reasons as long as you work to keep up with the class (some schools, even if you have legitimate medical reasons, will fail you for missing x number of classes), and multiple different things to help various conditions (tutors, smart pens, people to dictate your texts and exams, etc) and I have the least amount of anxiety I've ever had going into something so major. I'm 29 now and finally going into something that I'm passionate about and excites me.
Thank you so much for this video. I feel so much better about my educational journey now. I began university as an older adult with chronic fatigue. I had a difficult time with cognitive function and stress even if I took just one class. I attended as I was able and paid as I went. It took me over ten years to complete, but now I have a degree with no debt.
I started being really scared of school at 12. I would miss many days because I felt so sick. I didn't fit in socially and academically. Then when I was 15 I developed an eating disorder and was in and out of hospital for 2 years, so I wasn't at school at all. I tried to go to 6 different university courses and would always end up really mentally sick after a few months and drop out or go to a hospital for my ED. Now I'm 25, I only have my secondary education diploma and in 8 years I was able to finish only 1 year of school. I live with my parents, I have no jobs and no idea about the future, I live on benefits. I don't know what to do
Hugs! (if you want them). I don't know what you should do but wanted to make my own comment. One week ago, at 29 and a half years old, I moved out of home for the first time. Your good friends will not care that you're still living at home. Tbh I couldn't have gotten my treatment or done my studies or gotten to where I am now if I'd moved out earlier. I'm cheering for you!
It sounds like you need therapy and antidepressants or maybe medication? Obviously I don’t know you and not a doctor but your disability is mental and not physical. Have you ever thought of getting your degree online? It would give you the ability to get a degree without the stress of a classroom setting.
Well first of all, congratulations on graduating High School that's a big achievement. Secondly, I really hope that your treatment is going well. Please stay strong.
I just graduated from my art degree at age 34. My son had eye surgery during assessment times. Failed them miserably. Come finals week, we both caught bronchitis. I stayed up till 1am submitting my final assessment with a fever 😂 I had to stop studying for two years because my son had 2 open heart surgeries and need a lot of care. It was a fun ride, I started off with high marks but as my caring duties increased that reflected in my grades and I was so close to quitting and failing but you know what? I’m now waiting for my degree in the mail! Life tried to stop me so hard, but it didn’t!
In Poland we have podstawówka then gimnazjum (now we don't have it but when I was in school it still existed) and liceum. In podstawówka and gimnazjum I got very good grades, and amazing exam results. But in liceum it wasn't so amazing... I took advanced chemistry, biology and English and also compulsory English, Polish and math. I did good in biology (63%), English (100%, 98%), math (72%) but in chemistry only 27% so it was below what you need to even apply to medicine university (30% but you need more to get accepted). So I took gap yera to get better mark in chemistry, but I've failed miserably. So I just went to university in physiotherapy (they only wanted English, Polish and math) and I was 3 on the list. And honestly, I prefer being physiotherapist than doctor.
Thank You for making it clear how "invisible" health conditions are not equated with conditions that can easily be seen. And people in charge don't always want to hear your health issues and when letting others know, again, for clarification, they are not always helpful. You both are spectacular, smart, successful, and creative. I hope you do get what you want on that journey, but you've done so well without them, and can always study subjects You like.
I think this is a really interesting concept- and it’s really nice how you guys are sharing your exam results, and helping other people feel better about their schooling journey. Please continue being you 😊.
honestly this video is everything I need. my grades in university have been slipping for thr last 3 years (it has taken me over 5 years to complete a 2 year program) because my mental health has been failing and I refused to admit to myself that I needed to take a break from school. finally decided not to go back this next year and its really shameful for me.
I'm 22 years old and I'm not done with school. I haven't been able to get any degree. I've always struggled with school and I've been absent countless days. Too exhausted to get home work and other projects done in time. If I wasn't struggling with bad mental health I was ill. And it hasn't got any easier. Just getting worse and worse. I have a lot of health problems but don't actually know what's wrong with me. Hoping to get some answers from doctors soon. So this video made me feel a lot better and not as helpless.
Gabriel Savinen check out autism,adhd, dyslexia if you do have that you are likely to have other healthproblems ( My story, just it took me to 45 to actually get My diagnosis and then My health issues finally made sense as well as reactions to medications)
@@annarehbinder7540 wow. I've literally thought that might have those all and now I feel more like I'm not imaging it. Or blowing things out of proportion. I just haven't been able to muster the courage to bring all this up. Thank you so much for the comment!
Gabriel Savinen basically if you have either or a combo you are vulnarable to problems with immunity, all sorts of inflammatory stuff including psoriasis and psoriatic arthrities, gluten might be a thing whether intolerant or sensitive . fibromyalgia which appear somewhat diffrently in men. As well as ms etc and they can cluster. importantly you might have infektions which don’t show because you have normally lower body temp as well as not as reactive immune response so you are sick a lot longer and normal test Ig testing doesnt Work as well .but don’t get as much fever ( those last two aint a must but many have them) you might also have a problem with heat and or cold/ sunstroke etc. Things you can do after they looked at you physically by your self are ( My paindr receipy ) check that it wont collide with any medications you are taking with your dr and do this afteryour check up not mid testing a) combo of magnesium citrate 500-600 mg day, omega 3 4000-6000 mg a day, d3 10000 mg a day - this will boost general immunity / take care of that is a normal deficiency, should help focus plus relaxation as well b) take the anti- pneumonia vaccine since it also helps with other similar infections c) try a Ginger plus turmeric mix ( pills) I take 500 mg of each x 4 a day - this helps with any deppression tendencies plus is a really strong anti- inflammatory combo ( deppression by the way seems to be part inflammation and is common ) all these are more than likely something you can do with any medication given physically as well as anti- Depp but doublecheck just in case with your dr . If you should need anti- deppressants as well two medications that seems to Work really well for people with adhd as well as autism voxra ( wellbutrin only get that brand of that specific medication if needed ) 150 mg as well as buspiron actavis which is an anti-anxiety medication which also boosts anti-Depp and that has a anti- brainfog effect plus more energy also hard to explain even in Very small dosages I did 5mg morning and noon. You might also want to add b12 in the form of methylcobalamin 5mg a day - Very important that its that specific one plus 2 mg folate a day ( might find it under folic acid but it should say folacin which is the natural variety) Also hopefully you should not at have ms but if you do look into clemastine and niacin for that but in that case in higher dosages . Clemastine is an anti-histamine which also can be helpful as an antihistamine since we can be sensitive to many medications and niacin is also something that is likely to be helpful in general. Atarax is a musclerelaxant,antihistamine, anti- anxiety med which can also be useful to have at home as its welltolerated and not habituating ( it works longer than clemastine and is often used together to maximiseeffect) as We tend to be Allergic and sensitive ( which is a less reactive/ explosive but still Allergic reaction) to a higher degree due to immunity issues .This is all based on specific knowledge pertaining to autism/adhd, dyslexia etc and combos. Personally i’ve also found that for hanging out with people in loud environments having muscicians earpluggs are a good thing (expensive but really good if you want to look into it , also great for conserts or Work because they give even sound dampening without taking away from the understandability) sorry about the length of this but this is about 20 years research from My part as many dr does not not know these things but researchers do. And I though if this is relevant to you ... if not might help someone else... all the best and keeping My fingers crossed!
@@annarehbinder7540 just wow. You just listed so many of the physical problems I have. Without knowing that much about my situation. I'm quite shocked tbh. But once again I'm glad I'm not imaging it all and I might actually have something "wrong" with me physically. So frustrating that I've known that for years but nothing shows up. So once I again. Thank you! Hugely appreciate it
Gabriel Savinen oh and I forgot, check autism/ adhd organisations they are generally bloody helpful even before diagnosis and can help Getting diagnosed as you Will know more of whats relevant ! Since it can be hard to answer ” right” unless you know what they are looking for. Had to help My husband with that. ( We have both been adult diagnosed though to be honest given our neerdiness not really a great supprise to us... have dyslexia and adhd as well )
I didn't finish high school due to illness and family circumstances, but after several years of working I did an adult matriculation program at uni and went on to complete a degree, get 1st class Honours and a scholarship and go onto a PhD - which I didn't complete because I got the opportunity to do a highly specialised course in pre C20th oil painting techniques. School results can be the quicker path, but they are not the only path.
I got 2 E at A lvl and thought that was it for my educational pass. I did a foundation year at USW. I picked myself up again and now I am at my university of choice studying Psychology and Criminology. I went to several schools too, ended up missing out on SATs. It wasn't smooth but I had people who supported me and encouraged me. Bad grades aren't the end. Additionally, my mum dropped out of college. In her 30s she started Open University. There are tons of options.
It is so important to acknowledge that it is okay to not go the same way most people go when it comes to education! If you can't for what ever reason go to school that is okay! You might be able, if you want to, later, in your own way. I suffered from depression from a young age and could not finish school, it took me years to come back but I am finally going and it makes me feel so good in a way it could never have done if I forced my way to go when I was younger! Your worth is never in your education, so if you haven't been able or maybe never can, that is perfectly okay.❤️
I'm in the middle of a college degree in the US -- I started 4 years ago and am "only" halfway done due to my severe anxiety & depression (which I'm still working on). I was a consistently great student throughout grade school (graduated 3rd in my class), but everything started going downhill when I started college and it was really hard to come to terms with a non-linear education. Thank you guys for talking about your experiences!
“I was always injured, it was near constant. that was what adults liked to called a hypochondriac but what I like to call DOING MY GODAMN BEST” I relate so much that is priceless.
I did quite well in elementary school, I only had problems with English. In middle school I started showing signs of depression and I crashed academically. I also had somehow injured my arm by grabbing a binder out of my locker in 6th grade and now I have Chronic pain and weakness in my right arm. In highschool I did well my first year and then spiraled down again, I got a 6 week long migraine in 11th grade and ended up failing multiple classes because of it. I am in 12 grade now and I am now going to a alternative school because I got chronic sinusitis that made me miss 3 months of school. I am now a semester behind because of all of this.
I ended up not going to school for about a third of the year, because both my mental and physical health was a bit crap. I got two Ds and an E at AS Level
I was homeschooled all my life and started community college classes with a reservoir of anxiety and depression. I’ve been gradually adding classes and responsibilities over the past few years and it’s getting so much easier and very exciting! Don’t isolate your kids! That “fear to be set back a year” is something I’m trying to erase from my DNA.
i had an unexpected stroke in 2016, literally THE WEEK BEFORE school started for the fall. i was laid out in the hospital with right-side paralysis and mild aphasia. i had created a peeeeeeerfect schedule that would've basically finished 2/3 of my degree and seen my finishing college a semester early, and when we realized what had happened i was fuming. i argued with everyone around me because they all insisted i take time off to recover, at the very least, movement in the right side. i was so incredibly heartbreaking to come to the realization that i wouldn't be able to do it, and that i had to take time off. i spent a year angry at myself and angry at the world for what happened, laid around all day watching youtube videos until i found you, jess. you really helped me to come to terms with reality and realize that it was both ok to be mad and ok to embrace the deficits i was left with in the aftermath. i learned to walk again, taught myself how to use my arm, my hand, and, finally, how to write again, and i went back to school in the fall of 2017. i graduated last may, a semester earlier than expected, and with distinctions in the major. through the whole experience, i learned that shit happens. there's no point living in the past or hanging on to the what-ifs, because you're only wasting time. there's no point in flagellating yourself over things you cannot control, so long as you try your best 😌❤️
Hey Jess and Claude! I really have to tell you I appreciate that video a lot. I grew up with undiagnosed autism, breezed through primary school and got progressively worse throughout middle and high school. (well,the Austrian equivalent) I graduated at 17 with fantastic grades in English, music and art and bad grades in sciences and meh grades in everything else, went straight to university after that and had a good time until like my third semester of translation and interpretive studies (which I LOVED in the beginning! I still want to work as a translator, to be honest...) when I kept failing one exam over and over and at some point realized I could not fucking deal with written exams because I could not understand what the heck our professor wanted exactly, and that multiple choice exams that relied on semantics were my doom... I kept trying but ended up changing my study program to linguistics, which I struggled even more with. I began to experience burnout and depression to a degree where I could not deal with anything, felt constant anxiety, self-doubt and had no capacity for handling my sensory needs and ended up withdrawing because everything was too much. I finally managed to see doctors and get diagnosed and find a therapist. I switched study programs for the second time and went into it with the goal of being open about my needs. I tell each professor I have impairments and have a document that allows me to do written exams orally. The accessibility people at our university are fantastic and empathetic and have helped me so much. Anyway, I hope to finish this Bachelor's degree (English and American focused linguistics) and work as a freelance-ish translator!
It's always great to have other people share their non-traditional education experiences. I went through elementary school as a pretty typical "gifted" kid, then in middle school I began experiencing some pretty serious mental health issues. I failed two classes in eighth grade (English and History), then somehow through the power of sheer bullshit and decent ACT scores managed to get into a college early entrance program at 14. This was.... a massive mistake to put it gently. Between my 14th and 15th birthdays I experienced huge burnout, started having awful meltdowns, sometimes lost my ability to move and speak, and generally lost a lot of functionality. I spent the next year and a half in a "therapeutic boarding school" (read: psychiatric institution, but it's in the woods). Junior year of high school I got back on the horse with a significantly reduced course load, Senior year I took a bunch of college classes, and I managed through a combination of random credits and online courses to graduate on time (somehow). I'm now working towards an engineering degree and maintaining a solid 3.5 gpa. It's still a bit mind-blowing that I've come so far from what was a really dark period of my life.
Love it! My education is also hilariously wonky because of health things and I now teach music which is a result of my love of music and sharing this love not my exam results...thank you lovely people x
gosh you two are just so lovely, i laughed so much at how passionate claudia was with “i should have slipped another 50 quid in there” for the remarking. this was a really great video and even though my school journey has been more like claudias there could still be bumps in the future and its very comforting to see you guys at the end of the road happily
I was pressured a lot by my mother to be a good student, and was frequently told by her that I was "really smart but just lazy". She never thought to consider that I might have something wrong, or that I hated what I was. Here at 23 years old, I barely passed high school and have failed every attempt at further education I've tried. I'm 99% certain that I have undiagnosed ADHD, and while I don't have any noticeable issues in my day-to-day life, I always struggled with focus, memory and motivation in education. I could never make myself sit down and do homework or study, and I always hated myself for it. The few times I did manage to make myself do something, I would struggle to stay focused at all and, more often than not, not finish. I failed a lot of tests, barely passed a lot, and occasionally did well when a certain topic would greatly catch my interest. I did notably well in history because I was almost always interested in what we were doing.
Yo same! I finally got diagnosis and treatment this year at age 25 (I did it all myself with 0 help from my parents). might be worth noting that ADHD (and autism) is extremely under diagnosed in women cuz people generally think those are mental divergences that only little boys who can't sit still get instead of considering the little girls who zone out quietly and draw instead of ever paying attention in school.
You don't need to have a higher education to be succesful in life sometimes~ You tried hard enought but maybe it was not just meant for You~ Cheer up ~`*`~
I was in the same exact boat as you; I was a terrible student in high school. After I graduated (by some miracle) I took several years off to live life and figure out what to do with my life. Once I figured out what career I wanted I came to the conclusion that not having a degree wasn’t doing me any favors so back to school I went! I’m 28 years old and I’m about to start my second year of college. Because I know what I want, I’m motivated to do the best I can and not just the bare minimum.
I need this. Many people need because society always pushing into "studying box" and you start thinking, that bad health is something you'll have to deal with after exams like it's normal for students. And when something bad just happened people (and me too) aren't ready. So it's a very important topic
I had a VERY winding path in education in causing severe illness,being ignored when asking for a GCSE retake at college & 2 undiagnosed learning disorders I truly believe you learn in your own way & you need to find someone who can teach that way, I’ve gone from somebody who was told they would never be accepted at college with my grades to someone who has a degree, an actual degree & letters after my name What I’ve learned & would want to pass onto others is don’t take No for a final answer & also don’t rely on others to do something, do it yourself & check if what you’ve been told is actually true or not
It was definitely threatened, multiple years, that I'd be held back if I miss anymore school. Which I was missing due to frequent illness, injury, and depression. Senior year of high school was great, but felt much worse. Thankfully felt better by college, smartly made my last year pretty light and promptly crashed and burned physically. There was so much I'd wanted to do to help my career but just couldn't. The best thing I did was be honest with my professors straight from the start, they were a huge help. Afterwards there was a period where I could only work part time, but I did reach my career goals.
Oh, I needed this video so badly today. Due to mental health complications and chronic illness, my educational journey has been more or less a case of one step forward, two steps back for years. Every time I think I'm getting somewhere my health declines and I'm left feeling as though I'm falling way behind my peers who all seem to be on a steady upwards journey. What's really been helping me recently though is the knowledge that life is not a race! If I take 10 years to do what might take some others only 5 - well what's the problem? I'm taking the scenic route, and putting my health first. Nothing is worth sacrificing my wellbeing over. Thank you for this!
I was in a local paper photo on results day but they literally just walked up to us and asked to take a picture with no knowledge of our results, we could have all got U's!
I had horrific mental issues and undiagnosed learning difficulties throughout my school life, including exams. No one noticed this or cared though. Because I wasn't loud or boisterous. I had severe anxiety due to a problem home life. So they thought I was just thick. Uni wasn't an option. But I've proved my grades wrong now at the age of twenty five and I feel a lot better now that I've learnt how to handle myself and my conditions. There's more to life then school! Don't feel bad if it didn't go well ❤️
Screwed over my first pop at a level exams because of CFS/fibro/migraines etc, this year I resat and made the papers for kicking ass - to all my young'uns with CFS or other chronic conditions, you can still kick ass and make your own path, please focus on your health and support network first because I can genuinely say that's the best thing to focus on and is what got me through, much more, than all that excessive studying people like to brag about!
Looking forward to the migraine video! I have one right now, and it's doing that super-fun thing of "Too nauseated to eat, but also not eating is making nausea worse." Plus headache isn't completely going away with meds, so it's a "stay in bed" kind of day. When I'm feeling like this, it's always nice to have a solid reminder that I'm not alone.
New slogan for myself: “I’m a marshmallow!” 🙂🙂❤️❤️ Love you so much! ADHD and undiagnosed chronic stomach pain made school miserable for me, I fought for veeery average grades and sometimes got poor ones. Somehow made it though college with better medications and flexibility in time/ learning style, and I thought I could have a “normal” life. But 3 more autoimmune diagnoses, several traumatic surgeries, and a whole lot of chronic pain, illness, and disability later, I am now unable to work. It’s hard sometimes to think I am valued in spite of being unable to use my degree, unable to pay off my loans 12 years later, trying to make ends meet, and feeling like I am letting everyone down. You give me so much hope, thank you!
Oh Jessica!! This hit very close to home ♥ so I have chronic migraine, POTS, EDS hypermobile type, and fibromyalgia. I also have ADHD and autism which were totally undiagnosed and unmanaged in school. These things weren't obvious to me back in education, and I didn't have the chronic pain that I do now, so I assumed I was "normal" and tried to do like everyone else. My GCSE results were lower than the As expected, but I was happy with my results because I knew I'd exhausted myself trying to achieve them. I then missed A levels in favour of an NVQ in customer service at my local veterinary surgery as all I wanted in life was to work with animals. They layed me off after the qualification and asked if I wanted to be a vet nurse there, to which I panicked and declined as it looked like a lot of scary responsibility and hard work for my 17 year old self. A good few unsuccessful jobs in retail later, I'm 22 and I go back to college to do an A level equivalent "access to science". I got distinctions across the board in biology!! I had it all planned out: Go to university, do conservation biology and spent my life studying my favourite animal: frogs. I went to the peak of Scotland, Aberdeen University and managed one meagre semester before the loneliness, anxiety, and inability to somehow complete work alone and to deadlines (ADHD!) and then a severe kidney infection all knocked me too far back to face keeping up with it, and I reformulated my whole plan. I would go home, live with my parents who supported me so I wasn't totally independent anymore, and study to become a veterinary nurse! Bingo. I'd have a career at the end of it and I always wanted to be a VN, I'd just not felt as "ready" as I did now. My first year in vet school brought the beginning of chronic migraines, and fibromyalgia. My second year was my last year of the academic side of the course. I managed with only one major mental breakdown, and passed all of my coursework! Next was a year in practice and practical exams, but I had to do a certain large number of hours and fill in a daily log, performing all the tasks required of the log. I got right up to just 2 or 3 months away from the end of that placement. I was bullied HORRIBLY by the receptionist at my small practice, which led to another mental breakdown. The manager did not handle it appropriately and instead made comments comparing me to other disabled students, suggesting I was lazy. I was struggling, but I believe with the right support I would've made it. Instead though, I had to give up. Now I'm still unemployed, and my life has been filled with a year of getting diagnoses, seeing various specialists and trying to work out how on earth I can move forward and where I can go in life that I'll manage. It has been a heartbreaking journey to say the least, especially watching all the biologists and vet nurses graduate and get exciting jobs. I've had to relearn what happiness and fulfillment mean to me, and one part of that is my kitten who I got this year ♥ I am 28 years old, single, unemployed, but much closer to understanding my body and why my life has led me to this point. I also have many friends and a support system I never had before, so in many ways I'm the happiest I've ever been.
This video speaks to me so much! I’ve had a rough educational pathway too - I was continually ill during primary and secondary school and missed loads of school. In Y10 I had an entire term off sick because I developed such severe anxiety and fatigue that I couldn’t leave the house, and though I managed to catch up and return for Y11, all those issues persisted, and I spent all that year trying to find out what the hell was wrong with me and being consistently turned away by doctors. I didn’t complete any of my coursework until the day of hand in, and I was so ill throughout my gcse exams that I spent almost all time I wasn’t in the exam hall in bed. I did well as I’ve always been bright, but got at least a grade lower than I was academically capable of in almost all subjects, which still hurts a bit. Fast forward 3 years and I’ve just finished my A levels in 3 years rather than 2, as finally diagnosed POTS forced me to drop out of one of my subjects during A2 and resist the second year of the course the next year bc I physically couldn’t handle the workload. (Fun fact, after agreeing this resit with me, my school then tried to kick me out having not completed my course because they ‘didn’t have funding’ - they did, they just wanted rid of me, and we had to threaten a lawsuit on them!) I also caught sinusitis during my original exams and had a death in the family during my 3rd year exams. My attendance has never been above 90% in my entire school career, and had been as low as 30%, and I had to change my uni/career plans 3 times to adjust to my circumstances, but now I’m off to study at my dream uni for my chosen subject in about 4 weeks! Which likely will go wrong at some point too judging by my track record and chronic health issues, but moral of the story if you try your best through the adversity there’s almost always a workaround! I’ve come to realise it doesn’t matter about keeping up with your peers time wise as long as you get to where you want eventually!
I just had my maths mock exam a few days ago. It was sooooooo bad! I had thought I had a physics exam, not a maths one, and so of course, I'd studied for physics. Then, when I got to school, I found out it was maths and only had half an hour to cram the entire years curriculum into my brain... It didn't work. I could literally only answer 40% of the exam so the highest mark I can get, if I get everything I did do correct, is 40%! And I already know some stuff I got wrong. Thank the heavens, it was only a mock. But mocks are really important at my school, because your teacher looks at that when they decide whether you can continue with a subject next year. Well, guess who won't be doing maths next year...
isabella Egan Don’t worry! I’ve just got my results for the leaving cert (the Irish exams to get into college kinda like the a levels). In my maths mock I got 30% which was the lowest you can get to pass but in my actual exam I got 78%. I’ve also heard of a good few people with the same shock as I had so it’s not impossible!
Yeah, dont worry! I did awful in all of my mocks (9/98 in french oops) but I still scraped mostly As in GCSE! If anything, the mocks were a good wake up call to actually work because otherwise I wouldn't be able to stay at the school I was at. Good luck with your exams!
Things that are weirdly reassuring: other people getting sick and sixth form being a small disaster. No one took my seriously when I started struggling during my GCSEs so getting sick and physically passing out on a teacher was the only way she stopped yelling at me for not completing the homework 100% perfectly. I’m in my mid twenties and finally ready to go to uni and get on with life and I can’t keep up with the eighteen year olds talking about their exam results. I keep forgetting my grades cause they’re no use to me at this point XD
Also I’m pretty sure technically you take SATs as well in year 2 because the whole infant junior divide but I think I only noticed this because I technically went to two separate schools for primary (although they later joined together). Plus by the time I got to year nine they had stopped SATs so we didn’t find out I have exam anxiety until my GCSE mocks which was fun for predicting my grades
Being reminded that your educational career isn't going to determine the rest of your life or how successful you'll be as an adult is honestly so nice. I've had a smooth path so far in school, and this year I graduated from high school a n d I'll be starting college (eheheh American, but 'university' is in the school's name so ig university?) this autumn. I have this mentality where everything I do has to be perfect and I can't get below a B in a class or else I will have an absolute meltdown. I was the 'gifted kid' growing up and never bothered to learn how to properly study for exams because I somehow retained everything well enough to never need studying, but that never carried on as I aged, so now I don't know how to study and wing everything I do (and with varying success). Basically what I want to say is that I tend to stress myself out a lot with being perfect at everything I do, and it's nice to slow down and realize that this isn't the end of the world. I can still be successful and happy, but that path just might look different than what I expected it to look like.
My school was a bit cheeky and did a lot shady stuff, one of which was condensing subject curriculum into half the set lessons so that they could fit two subjects into one lot of lessons. The upshot of this was that every GCSE student did between 10 and 12 GCSEs dependant upon the student's set groups (ability based groups).
Had no, no idea how much I needed to see this. Dealing with disability and it leading to a wonky education, is world changing. One day I WILL graduate, no matter how wonky the path is!🖤🦄
i did well in my gcse's; got an A* in maths and chemistry and As in the rest bar 2. i'd wanted to be a doctor since year 2 so i decided on chemistry, biology, maths, and psychology for a levels. i dropped maths within 2 weeks, and realised my passion of becoming a doctor was dumb as i was too ill to be able to do such a demanding job and be in education for so much longer. i skipped most chem classes and went into the learning centre which is for like the special kids or something. i missed the last month of school due to being in hospital and the decided over summer i wanted to drop chemistry for art. so i emailed school and tried to catch up a years worth of a level art in two months. i haven't caught up with biology or psychology yet but i refuse to take an extra year because i have social anxiety and meeting a bunch of new people in a school where no one really repeats year 12 would be detrimental to my health. so i'm putting all this pressure on myself and no one believes in me but i'm trying my best :)))
Congrats on your gcses. I'm sure you will achieve your goals. Just look at what you have already accomplished: You managed to change subjects and to catch up on arts. You can do it🤗 And even if not everything works out, the people in your life will love you all the same. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
I LOVED the video, it's so nice to hear bc when I had to retake a year, my only reference of it was "that lazy boy who skip classes or got too bad grades". My story: I have several psychiatric conditions, _a little complex (like, it'd be a 10 minute read lol),_ one since 10 y/o but the rest since teenage years or older. So it was often a struggle the whole way, and not less at university. But after about one year at uni (21 y/o), I got ME. That has been the most _disabling_ thing for me (although my mental health can be more _painful_ ). I've had to almost _fight_ for my rights and to find a way (against the health care system, against the school etc.), but now I have a plan so that I can study at snail speed... but at least I'm moving (mostly) forward now :)
So here is my crazy story of my first year and a half in University: I went to university with the aspirations of being a music major on trumpet. I had been ranked the 9th best jazz trumpeter in the state and in the top 15 classical trumpeters as well. I had never had any private instruction because my family could not afford them while I was growing up. I got accepted to the university and after getting all of my papers signed and paid what I needed too to get the "ball rolling" on my education, my audition was scheduled for the school of music. During my audition, it was interrupted 3 times by the faculty members students with pointless questions and in general, the least professional audition that I have ever even heard of... At the end though, I was told that I did amazing and that I would be a wonderful addition to the school of music. "Who was my private instructor" was the follow up question. As I had stated, I did not have one. To which the response was... "Oh, no private instructor. Well then, I'm afraid you have wasted my time. I don't accept anyone as a student if they have never had private instruction. If you would like private lessons from me, I charge $80/half hour lesson and you would need 2 x hour long lessons a week for a year form me to re-audition for the trumpet studio at this university." If this sounds like extortion to you, that is because it is! Needless to say, I left that office and audition crushed. My future that I had planned for and thought was solid, was crushed. Shortly after, the girl whom I had already talked to her parents about getting engaged too broke up with my by telling me she not only had been cheating on my for nearly a year, but that she was using me as a cover because since I didn't believe in pre-marital relations, I was safe to date till she was ready to come out of the closet as a lesbian. Shortly after that, while working at a bank, money disappeared from a cash drawer and since I was the youngest person working, it must have been me who did it... My apartment was raided by the FBI and after the investigation showed that I was innocent, I still lost my job after 2 years because "things just were not working out"... So to recap - Got into University with the aspirations of teaching music, not allowed into the school of music due to growing up poor basically... Take general classes but feel lost and don't take them seriously and end up getting a C/C- average for the first year and a half of college. Was planning on getting married to my high school sweetheart, but found out that my best friend was playing me because she wasn't ready to be who she was yet all while paying my own way through college with a menial job at a bank which I lost due to being accused of stealing though I didn't... No longer able to be in the school of music, love life was a sham, and lost my job because I was accused of doing something I didn't and could no longer pay for my education, so I had to drop out with a lower then stellar educational experience and grades... 17 years later though. Work at a wonderful company where I am respected and encouraged to grow, they offer to pay for me to go back and finish my undergraduate degree in business and I do so, with honors all while working 2 jobs, and having a wonderful supporting wife and 2 kids in tow. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Had I not gone through the storm in my life 17 years ago, I would not have the amazing life I have now. I have been truly blessed.
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