I am noticing an embarassing pattern in my health and teh connections to moments of fear.

When I have exams to write or presentations to give or major research papers coming due, I get sick. Is this simply a psychological response to fear or is it actually a connection between stress and immunization? I am feeling more suspicious of my own health in these matters. Am I simply creating my own colds, sniffles, joint pains and such because of my fears of judgement?

How do I determine this? I know that in university, it is common for people to get ill around exams time because of stresses and teh close contact with thousands of other students, staff and faculty. But, I am finishing this degree at home this year. I have had some valid illnesses like last winter's serious respiratory infections going around. This moment of anxiety coming though, I have begun to feel joint pains, nonspecific symptoms of discomfort, back aches, and disrupted sleeping patterns.

[Perna]

All the symptoms you mention sound like things one could get from stress. What do you do about them though? If you "give in" to aches and pains instead of studying, that could set a bad precedent for yourself?

Too, if you're working at home, I would check how often you're working and where. I got my second degree wholly at home and in the last couple years, have been retired so have been at home almost 24/7 (if I wanted; I'm not home-bound and do generally get out most days of the week) and my working situation wasn't that great. I worked too long and in bad posture and wasn't getting exercise or proper rest, etc. If you're working harder during test time, studying, and aren't paying proper attention to your posture, etc., that could certainly help cause troubles on top of the stress?

Hi Perna. Thanks for your input. I am a procrastinator also. Then, when the deadlines start coming close, my stress levels spike, naturally. Every semester, I vow that I will stick to a study schedule and prepare ahead of time, but, with assignments and my two sons needing academic help, I tend to let my won studies slide a little. Until it is too late and then I cram for the tests and papers.

Tomorrow morning, I fly to Newfoundland for my presentation on Tuesday. I feel overblown with fears right now even though I have seen other final papers and they are not difficult topics. My biggest challenge is like that of my youngest son....the ideas are in my head but I can't bring it all together smoothly. My written papers are always a mess and profs demand to see better connections between my points. I haven't been able to accomplish this. I think this is why I get anxiety over my papers.

Wish me luck. I return home on Thursday.

[Perna]

Oh, by all means, good luck!

I procrastinate, don't read the texts, etc. I think over the years I got better at taking stock of what worked for me and what didn't and how I could get things accomplished. I gave up on forcing myself to read the texts and just got the "sense" of things and did a huge amount of writing which seemed to pull things together for me.

I use to pick topics and start writing right away so I had plenty of time to work on papers a little at a time, sleep on it, work some more, etc. as I learned stuff. We had to take a thesis writing class though that was really good in my field (history) in my time taking it with a good professor. It instantly converted all the other papers I wrote after it so they were good and I got a lot of confidence from that.

Thanks, Perna. I finally got an overview of teh general layout from another professor. I went to the office of my advisory professor and she didn't ahve time for me. It is not her fault. The demands on these professors' time is through the roof. I just don't want to be the student who falls through the cracks because of this. My professor who does the final reading of my research has sent more constructive advice but with it so late in the game, I will try to re-format my presentation in time for tomorrow.