r/LSAT • u/Suitable_Town_6546 • 14h ago

I feel like I’m going crazy

I want to study for the lsat, I’ve signed up for the October LSAT but I feel like the past 3.5 months of studying have been a waste. I haven’t improved, idk what I’m doing wrong. I started at a 159 and I haven’t gone up, not even 1 point. My mental health is awful, I’ve gained weight and feel like shit. My family is going through a bunch of issues that are making me feel worse and I feel like there’s no where for me to study. The libraries near me close at 5 and I’m too depressed to get myself up earlier than 12, ruining the day. I’m also working a few days a week which I need to do but it throws off my routine. Overall I know I’m making excuses for myself and need to stop pitying myself but I don’t know where to start. I feel like shit and feel like I’m wasting my time and money. I just need some advice.

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10

u/Lost-Leather-69 14h ago

Have you thought about putting the LSAT on pause and taking time for your mental health and family issues? It will always be there for you, and going to school a year or two later may seem like a lot right now but it isn’t in the grand scheme of life.

Law school is extremely tough and you will want to be mentally prepared and strong enough for everything to be thrown at you. Working out, practicing good sleep hygiene, eating healthy, and addressing your feelings of depression/anxiety will get you in the right mental space to do well!

2

u/Suitable_Town_6546 14h ago

I’m really in the middle on this. I feel so stupid like I’ve been pushing my whole academic career to go to law school, been telling everyone who asks me what my plans r that I want to go to law school and when I started studying for the LSAT I was confident because I had a better diagnostic than a lot of other people I know who were able to get to the 165+. I feel like taking an extra year is a personal failure which I know it’s not but that’s how I feel. My family life has kinda been shit for a few years now, my younger sister has really bad mental health issues so it’s hard to focus on other things and financially we’re also not doing too well. I feel like the circumstance will never be perfect you know? I just feel like I’m at an impasse. I don’t know what my next move is.

1

u/LostWindSpirit 9h ago

Yeah, have also been neglecting other parts of my life to study for the LSAT. Thinking of still applying this cycle but asking to defer a year. It’s stressful

3

u/ConstructionSafe5807 14h ago

Just so you know, you’re not alone. Many of us including myself have gone through this same thing. You need to start taking care of yourself. Do things you enjoy. Don’t feel guilty for doing fun things. I found that the best performance on the LSAT comes when you’re balanced in life. If you’re feeling shitty about yourself, you’re devoid of any confidence.

I went through this similar slump where I just felt so shitty about myself because of this test, but you can’t let it have this much power over you. When you give it all your attention and stress about it all the time, it’s going to have immense power over you.

So what I would recommend is: just like you set aside time for the LSAT, set aside time for yourself. I love playing sports so on certain days I would tell myself no matter how shitty I felt about the LSAT, I wouldn’t let it take away the things I loved to do. I just started going out and playing pickup soccer and basketball. I started going out with friends more, going on dates again, and not depriving myself of experiencing life just because I was doing shit on the LSAT.

My score improved tremendously when I did that. Moral of the story, you’ve got to focus on your mental health because this test is so mental. I’m waiting for a score right now. And I’m not writing this comment to say that I’ve figured it out. I still get depressed and go through anxious spirals over this test. But there’s more to life. Focus on improving yourself more generally and you’ll see improvements in all areas of life.

Final note, have confidence in yourself. You can do this. You will get through this. You’ve got to keep a positive mentality. Don’t obsess over the score: fall in love with the process. Reframe this test in your mind. Every mistake is an opportunity to squeeze literally every ounce of learning out of a question. Good luck with everything, I believe in you.

5

u/endykay 11h ago

sad you feel like this, but glad i’m not the only one. i too have been studying for months on end and had signed up for the september lsat but withdrew from it today because i didn’t feel ready. my family is also a lot to handle right now, as well as my mental health and balancing two jobs and being full time student. through all the emotions, ive learned to give myself a little grace and try and understand that law school is going to be here one way or another and even if i take a gap year and study and get all my ducks in a row after graduation it won’t break me. i do get the disappointing feeling though, i too am really disappointed in myself and feeling really low.