Hump Week Blues

💻 Week 3 Check-In: I'm Still on Week 1 Mentally (Send Help... and Snacks)

Okay, so here’s the honest truth: I’m in Week 3 of my 5-week online class… and I still don’t fully understand what happened in Week 1.

I logged in this morning to check the latest assignment and actually laughed. Not because it was funny, but because my brain did that thing where it short-circuits and says, “Nope. Not today.” The deadlines are real. The lessons are stacked. And somewhere between discussion posts and video lectures, I think I forgot how to learn for a second.

This isn’t my first online class, but something about the speed of this one has me rethinking every life decision that led me here. Blink and it’s a new module. Take a day off, and suddenly you’re three chapters behind and wondering if you dreamed the syllabus.

Photo cred Fizkes / Photo of frustrated online college student

I want to be on top of it all. I want to be the kind of student who reads ahead, who remembers the key terms, who doesn’t stare blankly at the quiz wondering if this was even covered (??). But the truth is—I’m just trying to hang in there. And honestly? That’s enough for now.

What I’ve learned so far is that online learning—especially in a five-week format—is not for the faint of heart. It’s flexible, yes, but it also requires a kind of self-discipline and focus that can be really hard to muster when life outside the screen is demanding too.

So here’s what I’m doing instead of giving up:

• I’m giving myself permission to go back and review Week 1 without guilt.

• I’m reaching out for help—even if it feels awkward or “late.”

• I’m choosing progress over perfection, one small step at a time.

And maybe most importantly, I’m reminding myself that struggling doesn’t mean I’m failing. It just means I’m human. Learning, adapting, and doing my best—even when my best doesn’t look the way I hoped. If you're in the same boat, floating somewhere between overwhelm and hope: I see you. We’ll get through this, even if we have to press pause, rewind the lecture (again), and reward ourselves with snacks every 20 minutes.

We’ve got this. Even if our brains are still somewhere back in Week 1. We press ever onward toward the mark. We are warriors after all, right? I mean, we did sign up for online school during summer. Who else does that!

Just expressing myself in my CreativLeeway!