I started 2022 with zeal and enough motivation to fuel a NASCAR.
This year was supposed to be the year I added another qualification to my belt. And it wasn’t hard for me to envisage that, as I’ve always been a passionate student and adore the idea of furthering my education.
But something horrible happened down the line.
Suddenly, I started fearing the worst.
I would whine like a baby and think, “I’m going to fail.”
“I’m going to put so much effort into studying this, and it will be in vain.”
“I’m going to get my qualification, but who will hire me anyway?”
Then there was also the fear of losing interest in my program. I thought that the more I kept forcing myself to study, my interest in the subject would wane.
The result of all this fear was that I stopped studying. I deferred my exams one more year. Put my life on hold. And drowned myself in every other activity.
Until now.
I’ve finally woken up from a deep sleep, and in front of me lie two options:
Let this fear of studying consume me and be paralyzed forever. Or confront it, grab it by the balls, and do what I set out to do in the first place.
I’ve decided to go with the second option.
Anyway, if you’re still here after reading my sob story, thank you!
I promise this post will help both of us overcome our fear of studying – because I’m assuming you’re in the same position as me right now.
In this article, I’ll explain in more detail why you fear studying so much and share six ways to overcome the fear of studying so you can finally sit down, get working, and move forward with your education.
Table of Contents
Why Am I Scared to Study?
Before figuring out how to overcome the fear of studying, it’s essential to understand why it happens.
In my case, it was a combination of self-doubt, the fear of failure, the fear of getting rejected after I completed it, and the fear of being mocked. The latter affected me the most.
Every family member and friend knew I was taking this course and proceeded to ask me questions every time they spoke to me. Questions went like this, “How’s your course going?” “When do you write?” “When do you finish?” “What are you going to do once you’re done?”
People didn’t care how I was doing; they were more interested in what I was studying. And the rapid-fire questions hurled at me eventually became unbearable. My entire identity became the qualification I was studying for. I was no longer Pooja; I became “Pooja who is studying XYZ.” And that’s when my fear began.
Eventually, my purpose became less about learning and investing in myself and more about passing the course so I could tell everyone I was done. My priorities got skewed, and I forgot the main reason I started studying in the first place – which was for myself.
With everyone’s expectations riding hard on me, I became scared of failing. What would they think of me if I failed and what if I do everything right and still don’t see any positive results from it? What then? Was all this effort useless?
The human brain is exhausting.
If I had kept a diary to record all my thoughts from when this fear started, I would have had two notebooks full. The fear paralyzed me to the extent that I stopped writing new articles about studying on this blog. I didn’t have anything to share.
You might be in the same boat as me, facing the 4-combination of fears – that relate to each other.
Self-doubt – “This is too hard for me to study because I’m an idiot.”
Leads to
Fear of failure – “Because I’m an idiot, I’m going to fail.”
Leads to
Fear of rejection – “Because I failed, I’ll get rejected from my dream job.”
Leads to
Fear of mockery – “Because I failed and got rejected, people will mock me.”
This is what our fear looks like – it is this simple. And we alternate between each fear, going back and forth, back and forth, unable to let go.
Related Post: How to Overcome the Fear of Failing Exams: 11 Easy Ways
What Your Excuses Sound Like to Avoid Studying
When we’re scared of studying, we procrastinate by making ridiculous excuses. These were some of mine that might sound familiar to you:
- “I’m an idiot anyway. Nothing will change that fact, whether I pass or fail.”
- “Blogging looks more interesting, and nobody knows I blog. So, even if I fail, it won’t be as bad as failing exams.”
- “I’m too old to be studying anyway. I’ll get a normal job like a normal 25-year-old.”
- “None of my friends and family are studying – I’m the only one making my life difficult.”
- “I’ve woken up late anyway, and half the day is already gone, so I won’t study until tomorrow.”
- “Something bad happened which is mentally affecting me, so I’m not in the right frame of mind to study.”
- “I was always a words person. I don’t know why I’m bothering to get a numbers qualification when I suck at it anyway.”
- “I was terrible at this subject in school and university, so I’m going to suck at it now too.”
- “I’d rather wash the dishes; at least I can’t fail at that.”
These are some of the things that went through my head this year. I’ve clearly been so low, moody, and hostile.
But it helped to see the methods of avoidance I used. Now, I’m more aware of my excuses and can call myself out.
What are some of the excuses you’ve told yourself to avoid studying?
How to Overcome Fear of Studying?
1. Acknowledge your fear head-on
We make excuses to hide our fear – like the excuses I made above. And we continue in that cycle of fear without finding a solution because we aren’t accepting that we’re scared in the first place.
I’ve found writing my thoughts in a journal to help with this. By getting my thoughts on paper, I could pinpoint why I was scared to study and how it affected me. You might find that speaking with a close friend or college counselor helps.
Whatever your chosen medium for coming to terms with your fear, sit with your anxiety for a while. Turn it around in your head and question yourself.
The clearer you are about your fears, the better you can overcome them. For example, if I didn’t know that my fear came from not wanting to be judged by others, I would’ve continued making stupid excuses to avoid studying because I wouldn’t have understood why I was even procrastinating.
So, what is making you scared? Is it society’s expectations? Are you scared because you actually don’t like your course? Should you be doing something else?
As scary as these questions are, it’s always best to confront them and answer truthfully. Most people spend their entire lives not asking themselves the scary stuff and lead a life they haven’t chosen.
2. Improve the way you talk to yourself
Self-talk is the best way to tackle the four fears I spoke about earlier. You can change each fear by talking to yourself positively and filling your mind and heart with good vibes.
For example, to conquer self-doubt, remind yourself of your past wins, or a time when you doubted yourself but achieved what you wanted. Or remember a proud moment when you felt capable of achieving everything you wanted and really did!
To overcome the fear of failure, remind yourself that everyone’s success looks different. And that rejection is often redirection to something better.
When I was struggling, I reminded myself of what my cousin told me once, “There’s no way you can put so much effort into your studies and get nothing out of it. Whatever you put out into the world will return to you tenfold.”
Give yourself embarrassing pep talks, no matter how silly they may sound. You’re the only one who can push yourself out of the fear zone.
3. Start studying with baby steps
Start small when trying to study again after a long time.
The last thing you want to do is set unrealistic goals of studying an entire chapter or module a day. Before you even start, you’ll shake in fear and never want to do it again.
For example, because I have the freedom to choose when I want to write exams, I decided to start studying again from chapter 1 – even though I had studied it before. Chapter 1 feels easy to me; therefore, it’s easier to continue studying. If I had jumped straight into new material from chapter 9, I would’ve backed out.
Therefore, make getting back to your studies as easy as possible. The less resistance you feel, the quicker you’ll fall into a routine and let go of your fear of studying.
Another thing you should do is set a timer to learn for a few minutes at a time and then build up from there. Don’t set a goal to study for five hours on the first day – a 5-day walk in the Amazon with no food or water sounds more tempting. Instead, tell yourself, today I will study for 30 minutes only. That’s it.
You’ll stick to that 30 minutes and ease yourself into the swing of things.
Related Post: 6 Doable Tips on How to Start Studying After a Long Break
4. Keep sitting (despite your fears)
When I started studying again three weeks ago, I looked at the course schedule and wanted to close the Google tab and go back to YouTube. I remember thinking, “I can’t do this; I’m done.” But before I decided to quit, I scolded myself and said, “Pooja, if you don’t do this, nobody will force you to. Keep sitting, and it’ll get easier.”
And it’s true.
The longer I sat there taking notes and trying to understand the lecture; I felt the anxiety loosen around my chest. And the work became easier to handle.
So, the next time you want to leave to do something more exciting and less scary, literally tell yourself to “keep sitting.”
Eventually, the dread and fear will pass.
Related Post: 7 Ineffective Study Habits to Say Goodbye to If You Want Better Grades
5. Work on other projects that bring you joy
When getting back into study mode, ensure you balance your studies with your hobbies, creative projects, passions, etc. Don’t focus solely on college – work on other things that make you happy.
This will keep you motivated for longer, and your fear will slowly dissipate if you concentrate on something else.
Students often make the mistake of forcing themselves to only work – but you’re doing yourself more harm because you will burn out, and that fear might never go away.
Related Post: The Complete Guide to Dealing With College Burnout (16 Tips)
6. Be kind to yourself as you move through these stages
When you’re scared to study, you might feel angry at yourself. I constantly thought, “I wasted so much time because I’m weak and can’t get out of my rut.”
But we’re only human, and our feelings of fear are valid.
You aren’t the first student to feel this way, and you won’t be the last. So, show yourself some compassion by acknowledging that what you feel is normal.
You can also choose to see this period as a good thing. Perhaps you desperately needed a rest, and this was your body’s way of getting it. Or maybe you’ve been confused about your career path, and this gave you the space to think about what you want.
Final Thoughts
Like every other fear, the fear of studying is holding you back. You aren’t progressing with your course, you’ve left things unfinished, and let’s be honest, you feel horrible. This is why it’s so important to let go of your anxiety surrounding studying.
To summarize how to overcome fear of studying:
- Improve self-talk.
- Start studying with baby steps.
- Keep sitting despite wanting to jump out of your seat – the fear will slowly pass.
- Work on creative projects or your hobbies to make this transition easier.
- And most importantly, be kind to yourself as you become brave.