| Subject: Re: stressed and depressed |
Author:
moyna
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Date Posted: 07:28:22 05/21/05 Sat
In reply to:
Laura
's message, "stressed and depressed" on 06:08:25 04/08/05 Fri
Dear Laura,
I can empathise with you intirley - i have just handed in my dissertation 3 weeks ago , i am doing a degree in occupational therapy and my dissertation was
"A phenomological insight into the emotional effects of dyslexia when studing a degree" Seems really fitting to our experience hey?
I too have dyslexia and its classed as moderate. Below i will tell you of the techniques that helped me in the year leading up to the hand in date:-
1)ADAPT THE TASK - If you dont have to actually do the research - then it may help to ask if you can do an extended proposal which is basically like the research, only you dont actually have to carry it out-you only have to say how you would if you were.(hope that makes sense?) i did an extended proposal and it took alot of pressure off me as i didnt have to meet any subjects or arrange interviews ect ect
2)BREAK IT DOWN - A dissertation can be realy really daunting with such a massive word count - it helped me to break it into smaller pieces eg - abstract, introduction , lit review ect ect and i had different word documents for each part, this was useful on several accounts - firstly i could concerntrate on one section at a time, secondly, it made it easier to navigate through such a huge document and lastly with the way my brain worked, i could eailsy see which section needed extra care.
3)WORD COUNT- It may be a good idea to work out how many words need to be in each section according to the marking criteria, that way you can work on being more consice and it may help you to only use the words or quotes you really need to illerstrate your subject area well. Eg if the word count is 10,000, the marking criteria states that for the
intro-you get 10 marks.............1000 words
abstract - you get 10 marks........1000 words
Lit review - 30 marks..............3000 words
Methodology - 40 marks.............4000 words
Discussion - 10 marks.............1000 words
By splitting up the dissertation into these parts you are then able to view them seperatly and it may make it easier for you to focus on each part. when you have finished you can then put them all together.
3)READING - if you can try highlighting text in books, it may help to find things easier when you are scanning through it later on - i also use post-it notes to summerise what the text is saying so i dont have to read it again
4)FINDING TEXT - One thing i did that was really helpful was to get a piece of A3 paper and create a table on it.
on the left hand side running down the page i had the article/book titles and authors
Running along the top i had the major themes in my dissertation eg - stress, anxiety, coping stratagies ect
Then i made a table and with each article or book i checked what theme it spoke about and in the box i wrote the main pionts and page number so when it can to writing up the dissertation i knew what i had read and where i read it - my memory is really really bad and this was a real help.
5)TIME - Its important to to time table when you can do your work and always remember to give your self a break. By planning you can see when you are able to work on your dissertation and when you can have a break - this technique may help you be more focused when you are working and relax more when you are not.
6)It may help you to use colours - eg if you split your work into smaller sections- you can award a colour to that section - then when reading your literature, use the same colour to highlight text related to that section or theme.
7) MAKING SENSE - by taking regular breaks you may find your self less tired, this can help you to think clearer, however if not you can ask a friend or teacher to proof read your work and check for spelling, grammer, punctuation and scentance construction - if you dont feel able to show anyone - then you could make a recording of yourself reading it and listen back to it for areas to improve and areas that are really clear and consice.
8)MIND MAPPING- you could put all you ideas into a mind map, if you havent heard of this try a GOOGLE search and you should get a better idea, these can be fun and really help you get your wonderful ideas into paper - using colour- design - and inspire you to CREATE your final master piece!
there are loads more ideas to help you, these are just a few, you are more than welcome to email me and i can discuss it with you further - moyna@hotmail.com
I hope this helps you a bit - remember you are not alone in the way it makes you feel, also try not to be too hard on yourself - even when it becomes really really frustrating- try to take time out and pamper yourself - you deserve it!
All the very best
Moyna
(fellow dissertation strugler!)
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