I get panic-attacks from maths. What is wrong with me?

Yeah, I get this to a certain degree. I've cried over maths homework when I was younger, and I still hate and somewhat dread maths.

However, I was ok at chemistry. Terrible at physics though.

 

Yup. I'm the same way... I still can't do basic calculations to save my life. Luckily I'm not a stem major and I'm hiring an accountant for my taxes.

 

Wow, I know people (a lot of people, too many people in fact) who have trouble with Math, but I had never known of anyone having such averse physical reactions towards it as you describe. This sounds like PTSD (and I'm not even sure if I'm joking here). I think you should consult with a therapist about this, because at 15, you are far from done with Math.

 

Have you experienced these feelings/reactions in any other aspect of your life before

 

Hello,

Have you had a bad experience within anything to do with math? (such as but not limited to the people, getting a bad grade) Perhaps you are consciously or subconsciously remembering this and are panicking about it happening even if there's little chance it will. Maybe you could arrange to speak with your math teacher in a different classroom and talk about it if it's affecting your work.

 

The secret is that even people who are really good in mathematics, have constant problems with it. No one is born all knowing, mathematics is difficult and takes time to understand it.

Why not consider math a challenge that you want to tackle it and make it your own? Start slow, find the way that works for you, and continue until you crush it. And get some help in the meantime, friends, tutors, and teachers, who are willing to be patient with you are the perfect choice.

For the record, I had a similar problem in primary school with the arts and sports. I couldn't play football or draw, so I got bullied a lot because of it. At some point I made my friends, who were really into sports, to teach me about it. After months and months of playing with them I became reasonably okay, I was still garbage at it, but I wasn't bulling-worthy any more.

 

Actually, this phenomenon is common enough to have a name; Math Anxiety, defined as "anxiety about one's ability to do mathematics independent of skill." It appears to be more common in women as math is often portrayed as a male skill, which can cause severe performance anxiety. It is also more common in the western world as teachers have a tendency to say that math is an ability that you either know or don't whereas Asians have a tendency to say that math is a skill that you improve through hard work.

There are some ways for parents and teachers to make it happen less such as refraining from tying math to confidence issues--such as implying that it's a male skill or an inborn ability--and by emphasizing that everybody makes mistakes in math. Some things you can do yourself is to discuss or write about your feelings surrounding math (which you are doing, so kudos), evaluating your own skill and growth rather than let others do it and developing some ways to calm yourself when doing math such as relaxation techniques, frustration breaks and positive messages.

In any case, you're not alone in your pain; many others suffer the way you suffer.

 

I've never had full on anxiety from maths, just a strong dislike for it. I've always struggled in maths, from learning how to read clocks to simple arithmetic. Especially division. I still slip up on reading clocks occasionally and sometimes I see the one and the twelve switch places. It usually goes back to normal quite quickly, but it has made me slip up sometimes which can be embarrassing at sixteen years of age. Plus on digital clocks sometimes the numbers switch around like twenty-four becomes forty-two. I actually made that mistake the other day and I went around panicking thinking I was late before I looked again and realised I had plenty of time. :lol:

I'm still waiting on that dyscalculia test, I've been short-listed but I haven't heard back from them yet. But yeah, sorry to take this thread of track a little. :icon_redf Just wanted to add this.

 

Anxiety is very common when learning math, especially when one doesn't fully understand what is going on.

During middle school and high school I was pretty good at the math math I was expected to be proficient at because I was taught well. I scored over 90 percentile (better than 90% of test takers) on the SAT both times I took it. Consequently, math didn't give me much math phobia at that time.

Several years later, after not studying math very much in a while, I was required to take a difficult math class. The class seemed to be manageable for the first couple weeks, then it quickly delved into stuff I just didn't understand. The classes quickly became 2 hours of the professor writing down equations that I barely understood or didn't understand at all. It wasn't that the professor was bad (she wasn't), it's that it was a fast moving class. During the two quarters in which I took that two part class, I think I had math nightmares before all exams except for the first midterm (which was much easier than the material covered on the subsequent exams). That's right, I would have nightmares about math because of all of the anxiety of preparing for a test on material that I know I don't understand.

 

I don't believe I ever had higher than a D-average in school, when it came to Mathematics. I did the bare minimum to pass, because I couldn't grasp it and felt like my time was being wasted, when that time could go to other things, like making money, History, reading, things I could make progress in.

For some reason, once it went beyond addition/subtraction/multiplication/division/shapes/currency/time/fractions, my mind just resisted anything more. Math isn't my calling in life, even if I understand the theories and formulas, I'm fucking garbage when it comes to writing it out.

I'm sure somebody else can say the same when it comes to English, or History, or sports.

 

Yeah, at the moment my average is a D in maths. I tend to get D's and E-. I hope one day to at least achieve a C grade. I find it's the "easy stuff" that's hard like time,currency and division. I actually tend to do better on the supposedly "harder stuff" that mainly involves just using logic. It tends to baffle teachers, they think I'm going to be some mathematical genius until we go back to basics and the areas I struggle start to crop up and they don't seem so sure anymore.

Yeah, I've heard people say similar things about English and PE.

---------- Post added 3rd Nov 2015 at 09:55 PM ----------

I've had the occasion nightmare about maths as well. In one of my nightmares I sat down to take a maths test and it kept changing to a different language.

 

In a way, math can be like learning another language. If you don't understand it, being tested on it may be terrifying.

 

I dislike maths a lot, it's my weak subject despite me never failing the subject, but I have failed some subjects that I liked, but I never have had anxiety attacks in fact the most nervous I have felt is around hot men.

 

You said your teacher isn't very nice, which can definitely make it a hard experience if you're already having trouble with it.
I don't know how approachable she is, but if she would maybe you could talk to her and ask if there's a time outside of class she could go over problems with you and help you out. I mean, that's what teachers are for really and if you are able to do this it could help with part of your fear so it might be worth a shot. I understand though that not all teachers are very approachable, which is a shame because they're supposed to be helpful when kids don't understand things but you never know.
I have a pretty scary teacher this year for math and it's really hard. But one day I got up the courage to schedule some time with her to go over some things I didn't quite get and she was very, very helpful and patient and it surprised me since I'd made myself so scared. She even said that was her favorite part of teaching and she was glad I went for help.

I also find that math can be a lot less stressful when you really try to understand the concepts and how it works, even if that's the most challenging part as it often is. If you're having trouble getting it, maybe look at Kahn Academy videos (those are SUPER helpful!)
But like others said, getting help from people could work too. I don't like asking for help from people often but it can really be a lifesaver and a tutor could be really helpful. Just make sure you don't pretend to get something and then move on, as this can make it more stressful.

Like I said, Kahn Academy videos online are great with any subject if you haven't used them before, I highly recommend checking it out!

 

Math is a black and white class. You get it wrong or get it right. To many, myself included, it creates an atmosphere of judgement. And that can be painful when you just aren't that skilled at the subject matter. I didn't have it nearly as bad as you, but I did dread it. It's not a terribly uncommon thing to abhor.

 

Nothing's wrong with you. People are better at somethings than others, it's normal to fail sometimes. I literally made a score of 3 on an community college enterance exam for math. They let me in if I took remedial math. Started from the beginning and now can do quadratic equation no problem. Embrace the fail, or even just the possibility of it.

 

Hey, maybe I'm not the best person to answer this question, but I'll give it a go because it makes me very sad to see a person so upset by a subject which I love, and is extremely important academically.

Firstly, maths may seem like something massive and confusing but most of what you do in maths can be broken down into four main operations: plus, subtract, times and divide. Once you know those four you just need to expand on your knowledge and you'll get there. If you break a sum down, switch it around, multiply both sides by the same number, suddenly it all seems rather tame.

There is a series of books called Murderous Maths by Kjartan Poskitt. It explains maths whilst being enjoyable and doesn't feel like you are in a lesson, just reading a book like one normally would. I read the series and you may like to try it out. Simon Singh is also an author who writes fun books on maths.

I think that what teacher you have can really make a difference on whether you enjoy a lesson. Maybe one day you could stay behind after a maths lesson or come in 5 or 10 minutes early to talk to your teacher about your problems. If it's stopping you from getting the grades you want they should be able to help you: it's their job. You could get a tutor to help you out at home as well.

Finally, I would recommend seeing a professional. I'm not very knowledgeable about this sort of thing but if you are having panic attacks, it's definitely something you should get sorted out.