Thread: Do you know what to do with your life?

Originally Posted by tommo

You still can. The thing with the sciences is that they are generally intertwined. [...]

I guess I could study and switch job every ten years or so, and simply not mention it/lie about it.

I'm having this problem at the moment too. It's always been my weakest point. But as you said, the course probably won't have too much math in it, so you just need to get to the required level to get in to the course, which most people can do if you put in enough effort.

The problem is that the required level for most of the courses are "Equation covering the whole goddamn whiteboard" kind of stuff.

I found a website called the Khan Academy and this guy has put up heaps of videos explaining really clearly a lot of all sorts of sciences including maths. You should check it out. Khan Academy

Thanks. I already know of the site though, but I feel that the knowledge gap between the videos are too great for me. Or I just need to watch them some more.

You'll never know if you can make it or not if you don't try. 99% of people, maybe higher, probably aren't sure whether they can do it or not. Some can, some can't. 100% of the people who don't try don't make it though.

On top of not being sure what I want to study/work with (if my application doesn't pass), I'm also having trouble concentrating as of late.
I feel a bit tired most of the time, I often experience emotional/sexual frustration, and then there is the future angst.
I also have trouble with my sleep rythm, which is most cases doesn't go along well with studies or work.

I'm hoping to get a prescription for antidepressants or similiar, I just hope they will work for me.

Originally Posted by AngelZlayer

Thanks. I already know of the site though, but I feel that the knowledge gap between the videos are too great for me. Or I just need to watch them some more.

You need to start with the really simple ones. Fuck it, I started with how to do division because I'd forgotten since I did it 5 years before.

Originally Posted by AngelZlayer

On top of not being sure what I want to study/work with (if my application doesn't pass), I'm also having trouble concentrating as of late.
I feel a bit tired most of the time, I often experience emotional/sexual frustration, and then there is the future angst.
I also have trouble with my sleep rythm, which is most cases doesn't go along well with studies or work.

I'm hoping to get a prescription for antidepressants or similiar, I just hope they will work for me.

I would start with meditation. Your sleeping problems seem to be caused by stress. So the first thing you should do is try to relax more, which will probably solve most of your problems.
I've tried anti-depressants before and I hated them. Researchers have looked at all the studies on anti-depressants and found that they really do not have any effect beyond placebo. (That is, no effects on depression, they do have multiple side-effects though).
Plus you have to take one for a few months and see if it works, which it won't, then the doctor/psychiatrist will put you on another one, and on and on. You could go through 7 or more and they would just keep trying with different ones. It really just makes you focus even more on your problems, instead of focusing on getting better.

Just trust me on this one, you don't want to take them. Take any other medication except anti-depressants.

Look for threads on meditation here and try that. Or even just relaxing for 15-40 minutes, once a day. You wouldn't even believe how much that can help you, until you try it.
Stress is the worst thing, in that it screws up multiple facets of your life, including sleep which is essential. And basically just starts a snowball effect.
So if you can get past the constant stress, your entire life will feel much more positive.

Note: I'm not some hippy new-ager at all, I've tried 4 different anti-depressants and done extensive research on them after I started getting brain-zaps and depersonalisation and.... sexual problems from them.

Originally Posted by tommo

I would start with meditation. Your sleeping problems seem to be caused by stress. So the first thing you should do is try to relax more, which will probably solve most of your problems.

I don't think the relaxation will last very long, but I'll give it a try.

I've tried anti-depressants before and I hated them. Researchers have looked at all the studies on anti-depressants and found that they really do not have any effect beyond placebo. (That is, no effects on depression, they do have multiple side-effects though).

But surely there must be some prescription drug that will be able to help me?

Also, regarding the reduced sex drive (which I assume is what you were referring to), that's part of what I want.
Along with the future angst and all that, I'm also distracted/stressed/put down by emotional and sexual frustration (as I mentioned earlier), so I want to become more "apathetic".