Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel, May 21, 2007.
February 1995. New Hampshire state championships, cross-country skiing.
After four miles of racing neck-and-neck through forested hills and wind-swept ravines, my rival and I entered the final homestretch. She sped ahead on the last turn. I faltered. And then it was over. Three irretrievable seconds would forever stand between me and the high-school title. I kneeled in the snow, hot tears flowing down my numb cheeks.
Mark Swinney - Christian Science Sentinel, Dec. 11, 2006.
I used to know a dog that would run constantly between two doors of the house whenever his owner left. Apparently he felt so much anxiety about the separation that he almost went into a trance. I’d watch that pooch run thoughtlessly back and forth, back and forth, and whenever I could, I’d try to play with him to distract him. This would only help for a little while, though, and soon he’d return to his mechanical running. The owner always came home, but the dog’s behavior never changed.
Noelle - Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel, Oct. 16, 2006
It was my junior year of high school, and one day I felt overwhelmed trying to prepare for three major tests at the same time.
I decided to study for the test in my honors US history class first. This was not the best choice, because I knew I would struggle much more for my chemistry test than for history. But I pushed this thought aside and waited until the last minute to study for chemistry. When the time came to study for chemistry, I felt I would not understand the material, so I just gave up and decided to go to bed.
Jonathan B. - “Exams/papers/DOMINION!” part 2 (or “Exam Time”) has been reprinted from the Christian Science Sentinel, Jan. 15–22, 2006
Wasn’t sure which forum to post this in—but here it is: I was wondering if y’all would want to bounce ideas around on how to prepare spiritually for exams. Historically, I have found this time of year (now until mid-December) extremely stressful. The human picture—very little time to pack a lot of information into the grey matter in my head. Of course—in the divine sense, God supplies the answer to every question and need. For me, exams are exhausting and frightening. I know they don’t need to be—and any advice or spiritual inspirations would be greatly appreciated! (more…)
Max Warner -The Christian Science Journal, March, 2007
As soon as I received my acceptance letter to college, I began to imagine what my first semester would be like. I saw college as a welcome change of scenery, because of the size of the school (much bigger than my high school), the athletic and academic opportunities, and its geographical location—the college was several hundred miles away from my home in Missouri. I looked forward to instantly making many new and interesting friends, as well as having an awesome season as part of the cross-country running team. I was also excited about being able to study subjects that really interested me and to define a major course of study for myself. I spent the end of my senior year in high school and most of my summer with these thoughts and plans.
When I finally arrived on campus in August to begin cross- country camp a week before classes started, I was thrilled. I felt like I was really growing up. (more…)
Adapted from “Exam Time,” Christian Science Sentinel, 2006
11–20–2006, 04:59 PM
franciscusjuni
So I did sit and eat.
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Manchester, UK
I have a big fat chunk of work to be doing—two major essays on areas of literature that are still fairly unfamiliar to me. And that’s in addition to the two research proposals I really need to have produced in the same space of time.
At the start of this semester, this workload would haunt me occasionally, when I wasn’t able to forget about it. Without having the essays completed and in my hands, the idea of doing so seemed like an impossible task! The notion that I simply wouldn’t be able to complete everything satisfactorily, or indeed at all, dogged at me, filling me with no small fear.
So how have I dealt with this? By working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, to make sure I get something done? Nope. (more…)
The Christian Science Journal Sept. 2006
Throughout high school, the most dreaded days of school were the ones when I had to take tests. I’d always been good at taking them until I reached high school, when, for some unknown reason, I became stressed out before tests—gripped by the fear that I wouldn’t know the answers and would fail. Afterward, I would feel frustrated when I didn’t get the grade I wanted after I’d studied so hard.I have attended a Christian Science Sunday School since I was a little girl and have learned that God is Mind and that this divine intelligence guides and governs us always. I’ve also learned that I am God’s loved child and express all of His qualities. Still, I couldn’t seem to get rid of the fear that surrounded test taking.
The situation got even worse my junior year as I began preparing for the Advanced Placement test. (more…)
