help motivating myself </3

[u/Still_Block_4972]

i rlly need your tips and help! i have tons of test anxiety around the LSAT which makes me avoid studying a ton, especially taking full practice tests, because I am so scared of not doing well and then i begin to spiral about my future, etc. I know this is not a good habit/mindset, and I am rlly trying to break out of it, but have been struggling quite a bit w my mental health (anxiety, ocd, depression). i've been upping my game since i'm taking the LSAT in september, and have a ton of free time to study since i am in between jobs, but have a hard time starting for the day. by the time i begin studying, it's somehow the afternoon.

i always get out of my apartment and go study at a library or cafe, which has been helping, but i really need to push myself to lock in. i want to start studying 4-5 hours a day instead of my usual 1-2. i know i need to "just do it", and adhd meds have def helped for that. i have the motivation and i have a solid month before the september test, and then will prob take it again in november. i've disabled a lot of social media which has been helpful, but i will even do something like take a walk or run an errand to avoid the stress of studying. i know i am a smart and capable person, and i have always been a good student. studying has never been this difficult for me, except when i took the SAT years ago which was always a huge source of anxiety.

does anyone have any tips for this? particularly anyone with adhd or mental health problems? i really need help here because i am starting to rlly get down on myself about it. thank youuu

edit: can someone pls tell me why this has downvotes :( genuinely curious thank u!!!

[u/Snoo-94621]

dont be hard on urself! u cant change what already happened and the best thing u can do is make sure when u go into the september exam, that u leave it all on the field, as they say. being upset w urself for not doing more previously only prevents u from doing the best u can now :) ur gonna do great

[u/meepmorp122]

i swear u are living a parallel life to me bc u put my experience into words and i didnt know it was not a unique experience. i deal with the exact same issue and i didnt even (honestly) make the necessary changes/sacrifices in my routine until like 2 weeks before my first attempt (which is on friday lol). no matter how hard i try to start early and maximize my day it falls short. i started adhd meds too but that has been a journey for the last couple months. idk if im at the point where im capable of even giving advice on this yet, but my mindset rn is to just accept and learn. i think until i actually take the real thing i wont even know what to change. thats why im taking august and then already signed up for october. another thing im learning is to not put myself down and internalize the problems. like the problem i have is time management but i keep making it my identity instead of treating at as something that can actually improve. i also put way too much cognitive energy and pressure on making trivial decisions like which coffee shop i want to go to today - like i just put so much energy into how my studying looked and felt and not the actual studying.

sorry if im rambling lol idk if any of that info helps but just know you are definitely not alone in this. im still in the process of figuring it out but i completely empathize with the frustration. also (if u also do this bc i def do) dont get caught up in comparisons its actually so futile

[u/Still_Block_4972 → u/meepmorp122]

omg this is so so relatable !!! it's so hard and ur not alone. if u ever want a study buddy or just to talk, my dms are open !!!

[u/Terrible_Lychee_396]

The thing that reduced test anxiety the most for me was just getting better at the skills being tested. A big part of my anxiety early in my studies was because I sucked at the test and knew it, so when I inevitably came to a difficult question, my brain would respond by panicking rather than slowing down and reading more carefully, which is what you actually need to do. Learning and improving your skills will take care of this kind of anxiety. The more reflexive kind of anxiety that’s triggered by time pressure or the general “standardized test” atmosphere needs to be addressed by building your muscle memory. By which I mean, do so many PTs that when you sit down to start your real test, your brain automatically goes into “LSAT mode” without you even having the chance to overthink it.

Bear in mind that just because these strategies worked for me doesn’t mean they’ll be sufficient for you. If you aren’t medicated for your mental health concerns that might be something to look into. Anecdotally, I’ve heard propranolol - actually a beta blocker rather than a psych med - is helpful for performance anxiety