To be feeling so overwhelmed working and studying?

[IsTheRainEverComingBack]

Not really an AIBU, just needing a vent and wondering if anyone else is in the same boat and wants to vent with me?

I’m a month into a part time masters, that I chose for professional development, whilst also working full time in a fairly stressful job with a lot of deadlines, and whilst the time for both made sense on paper I’m feeling like I’m not doing the very well at either right now. I wanted to eek out study time in the evenings (I work from home which makes this easier) to keep my weekends for rest, but that’s not happening. I enjoy the subject matter but can’t seem to focus to get the amount of reading done that I need to, and worry I’m going to end up with terrible marks and it’ll all be a waste. I really want to do well at everything and I’ve committed now. Just feeling stressed really

Hi :) I feel you on this. I'm working full time, studying through the OU part time and am 7 months pregnant. With assignments due around my due date. Oh and I'm planning our wedding which is happening July.

You know what? Go. Us. Yes it's overwhelming. I've found breaking it down into manageable weekly targets is helping. For me, I wrote down a list of everything that was scrambling round my mind, prioritised them and planned them.

Also, reach out to your tutor or supervisor. Every uni has them assigned I assume? Mine helped me loads by giving me advice around certain module requirements and under exceptional circumstances has provided me with easier ways to achieve them (eg I would've had to do a placement for one assignment but with a newborn?! No. So I've got readings and videos to base it off instead) also simply reaching out to someone who's involved and saying "I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and concerned" helped lift a weight off my shoulders full stop. And someone involved and aware can check on you, check where you are and offer you the emotional or practical support you need.

Also student forums and meet ups, look into them. They're not for me particularly, but speaking to others doing the same masters, same deadlines, same topics, have the same worries, same concerns and same struggles and same solutions!

Deep breath, and keep the reason your doing this in mind. For me, the picture of graduating with my little boy on my hip is driving me. What's yours?

Good luck, and I'm here if you'd like to vent! 

I am with you.

I am not doing a masters though. A full time degree (but only one day at uni). I work part time- 24 hours a week and I have five children.

If I was working full time like you I am not sure where I would fit it in.

I have no great advice but I get the overwhelmed and stressed feeling. My tutor is always telling us to put study time in your diary as you are more likely to do it.

It has been half term week and I had the week off work. I have done very little studying because the week was a busy one. I have a group presentation on Friday and I really need to keep going over the bloody thing.

I hope it gets easier for you soon

You can do it!! Take a deep breath

Think about when your most productive time is and only work when you are in the zone, break it down into pieces and have a good plan. It is a lot of work and sometimes you do have to eat into weekends to get it done, I certainly did

I did a PT masters and in the last year was pregnant with DD2 - sirmione16 yup baby on hip in my gown for graduation looking back all good, in the moment (!) yes somewhat busy ...

Thanks all. Yep, also planning a wedding and hoping to TTC no.1 in the new year (because I’m not stressed enough right?!) I know I’m capable theoretically just finding it so hard to focus even when I have the time. By the end of a heavy work day I don’t want to work more! But I do want to do the masters, wouldn’t have started if I didn’t, just wish I was feeling more pepped up for it. I’m taking a week off work just to study in a couple of weeks and I think having that time to focus will really help.

I'm almost finished my masters and also work full time in a pretty stressful job which involves a fair bit of travelling.
It's pure determination that's got me this far, every time I've had a deadline approach I've asked myself why I'm putting myself through this. I found it easier to think of it as individual semesters so it's only 4 months or so rather than 3 years.

Oh I just had to click on this as this has been my life until recently!

I completed my undergrad OU degree by taking exams as I was in early labour at home (special circs, examiner came to my house)

Two years later I began a Masters, alongside volunteering in the sector I wanted to work in alongside a part time job.

Then I discovered I was 20 weeks pregnant with our 4th child, a week before I turned 40. I was absolutely devastated because I didn’t see how I’d cope.

The extra expense meant I needed to go full time. I went back to work when baby was 3 months old and my exams for my masters took place when she was 4 months. I was also volunteering and trying to cope with a baby, a toddler and 2 other kids.

Despite my wonderful DH doing as much as possible I had a nervous and exhaustion breakdown a week before my exams. I was very unwell indeed.

The OU were great. All my assignment scores have been ‘banked’ and the course deferred until the following year.

Unfortunately I haven’t coped well and wasn’t able to start it back up yet but I hope I can in the future.

Just don’t make yourself ill. My situation was extreme but I wish I had spoken to the university earlier if things are getting on top. They can offer lots of support.

Thanks all. I’ve had mental health problems in the past, and already did my undergrad as a mature student, so I know how to ask for help if I need it.

Mostly I just want to be able to focus better. But I’ve just got my printer up and running so that should help, reading everything online wasn’t working, I need hard copies. Good to know others have done this and managed, wishing I’d been a bit less ambitious at the moment!

I did this a couple of years ago - full time job that was around 60 hours a week plus part time masters over 2 years.

My advice is to find a time each day that you can dedicate an hour to it - for me that meant getting up an extra hour early in the morning. I would use the time to do reading / preparation for seminars / writing etc.

It is incredibly hard work & I was beyond exhausted when I finally finished it

But you are doing something amazing and as PP have said ask tutors for help & I promise it will get easier - the first few months (and the last few if you have to write a dissertation!) are the hardest but once you get into the flow I promise it will be easier.

Good luck - you got this

Planning ahead helps. Also play around with the best times for you to study. I found it hard to study after a day at work. Can you do 30 mins reading first thing or over lunch? I also used to allocate a chunk of the weekend and keep my evenings free. The other thing that really helped me was our study group. We met 2-3 times a term after one of the classes and it helps to hear other people are feeling the same.

This was me last academic year. Working 30 hours a week and studying for Masters in subject totally unrelated to my day job. It took over my whole life from October to June. No time for any fun or quality time with DCs. The prospect of all that again multiplied in the second year by the dreaded dissertation was too much for me. I passed and took the Pg Cert at the end of the first year then bailed out. I'll find another route to the career change I want. Nothing was worth that stress.

IsTheRain I also had to print stuff out - but found I often just needed to have a long stretch in a situation so boring I had to work on it

And my approach to essays became so much more structured as it may be a week between when I can next pick it up

Dissertation I had a big todo list of all the things I needed to get done broken down so that I could feel a bit of achievement even if all I did was put my candidate number in the footer or wherever

I often went into the university library and worked until the early hours of the morning - I found it easier to just line up weekend afternoon/evenings that way to have a clear run at it for several hours - versus trying to intermingle with work stuff / travel and DC during the week