How to overcome the fear of math as an adult?
597202
i had a fear of math almost all my life. but anyway, i went back to school as an adult and was determined to get good grade. i face my math demons. i studied on my own and with some friends. i also got tutoring. i'm glad to say that i did well in both of my classes. you can do the same. face the math and don't run away.
518238
I think that what's so tough about math, and why everybody hates it so much, is that it's kind of like "gym class" for the brain.  It's hard at first, even painful if you're not used to it, but the only way for it to get better is to do a bunch of hard, boring exercises until you get used to it.  Just as exercising is hard at first, once you start building up muscles it starts to get easier.  It's almost literally the same way for your brain, except instead of "building up" your brain, you're actually creating new pathways in your brain.  It's like clearing a path through a jungle; it's really hard going at first, but it gets easier each time you go over it.\n\nYou do have to "get it" to begin with, though.  That's where your teachers come in.  If you're not understanding something, get them to help.  That's their job.  You may want to talk to your parents about it, and maybe look into getting a tutor.\n\nGood luck.  Just remember:  The second time is always easier than the first.  The third time is easier than the second.  The fourth time...
941642
Tell your mom this story about my son and me.\n\nI played math games with my two sons constantly until my younger son was taking Algebra 2 in high school and started saying, "I hate math." \n\nI knew that he shouldn't hate math because he has a real talent for it. So I stopped bugging him with constant math problems (although I probably didn't cut it out entirely).\n\nAnyway, I held my breath to see whether he would start taking an interest in math and performing better. Fortunately, he got a more interesting math teacher the next year and stopped complaining about math.\n\nNow it's two years later, he's a senior in high school taking a second-semester college calculus course, and is planning to study engineering in college.\n\nConclusion: If you keep bugging the kid, he will dislike the subject. If you pull back some, and if he has some good teachers, he'll discover what he's good at and will want to do more of it.
227753
You are not alone..I see math as a hobby:)
398610
Convince yourself that math isn't that bad.  If you put a mental block up (like saying you hate math) you'll never get through it.  I am not great at math (I struggle to balance my checkbook) but I break out the calculator and tell myself its not that bad, I can deal with it.  I'm smart and I can handle this.  You don't have to be an accountant to handle math, but you do have to constantly tell yourself that math is not hard.  It doesn't have to be something you look forward to doing, but it is something you have to do.  The sooner you come to grips with this, the better off you'll be.
299220
Practice.  First off, you have to show ALL of your work.  If you can't write it down, you don't understand.  Saying "I do it in my head" doesn't cut it.  Explain how to do a problem that you already know how to do to someone else.  Mathematical concepts are cumulative so you have to understand how to do one type of problem before moving on to the next.\n\nI know that most math textbook, especially grade school, have too many review problems and not enough problems dealing with the new concept being introduced.  Therefore do all of the homework problems, not just those assigned.  After you get papers back, figure out why you didn't get the correct answer on those you missed.  What step did you miss?  Did you make a mistake in arithmetic?  Did you miss a critical piece of information needed to solve the problem?  Did you try to use some information that really wasn't needed?\n\nThe biggest problem most people have with math is that they think that they have to get the answer right away.  That is fine for simple addition and subtraction.  But think about long division.  If you follow the process and don't rush, it may take awhile but the answer eventually comes.  Same idea goes for simplifying algebraic equations, doing trigonometry proofs, solving quadratic equations, calculus derivatives, integrals, and differential equations.  Take is slow, do what you know, and figure out what you don't.
1085444
I say go for it! Don't let your fear of math change what you want to do. I hope that your writing and spelling for college applications and college work are better than you have demonstrated here.
242802
Why doesn't your mother already know that you are not very good at mathematics.\nMerely turning up for the lessons does not automatically mean you will pass. It is time for you to make an effort to understand and learn the work. You may need help with this.
1187668
I don't think you can teach someone to love math. They either do, or they don't. The best you can do is try and make it fun by relating it to everyday things and try and make it easy, taking it step by step.\nTake it easy for both of you though. Don't shove all this math in her face and also, don't let it take over your life. Balance is the key.
1040364
Your mom will have seen you studying right?  She is not likely to be angry about your inability to grasp a concept that you have tried to get.  \n\nI would think your best approach is allow your nervousness of talking to her to show in your manner (or flat out tell her "I am really nervous to talk to you about this") and ask her for help.  Tell her how you studied so hard and you don't know what happened - why aren't i able to grasp this (you say)?\n\nThere are some really great web sites out there that can help you with your math skills.  I home school my kids and that is what I use for math.  Maybe you can look for some together.  I would suggest some, but without knowing your age and grade, I don't know if that would be helpful.  If you want suggestions, email me with your grade and I will help you look too.\n\nParents, in general, don't get angry because their kids are not able to succeed when they try.  Parents get angry when kids don't try their best or when they don't tell us there's a problem.  Math is important - she wants to help you succeed more than anything else.\n\nPeace!
993360
just practice by doing more math problems\n\nThe more you practice, the more you'll get the hang of it.
590612
Demonstrations ... \nNothing stays in your mind more than examples, so at the beginning of each lesson show an example, have a student come up and pretend to buy something and you can 'cheat' them and see if they catch on. Then you teach them the math concept and explain how it helps.  However this is a very negative view and will influence their perception of the world.  Sometimes fun can help with teaching as well. For example when my professor taught us about trig and pi, he brought it an actual pie to teach the concepts :)
901555
there is nothing you can do to make yourself love math..some love it some hate it..I am a math and science lover but despise english and history.  Just do you best to get thru the courses and dont choose a major in math.\n\nBest of luck to you
512786
math is definitely not for everyone.  it is an extremely structured and logical discipline, and in my experience, people who are more socially-successful are often (NOT always) the ones who have a harder time with it because it's so un-interactive.  \n\nIn order to really grasp it, you need to have a very structured way of thinking and have a wealth of patience.  The ability to sit down with a book or in a class and really take time and work through the logic in your mind until it makes sense and comes together.  \n\nAfter tutoring calculus for a semester, I can say that some people just don't have the capacity for it.  Their minds can't focus and wander back into human affairs.  Math is a very impersonal subject and requires a sort of cold and (literally) calculating detatchment from the day-to-day.  If that's not your trip, then you're most likely going to hit a conceptual wall somewhere in the world of algebra.  That's why most humanity majors have alternatives to calculus, but college grads are required to mull through algebra one way or another.\n\nI could tell you to go find a library and really give your textbook the care and focus it deserves, but if it's not in you, your mind will surely wander before you manage to form any connections.  I'm great at math, but I could never play sports for the same reason- my mind just has no place for it.  So be patient with yourself, try to learn a little at a time, and if worst comes to worst, you may just have to admit that it's not something you have capacity for.\n\nBut fear not- I'm sure if you looked at the ten richest people in the world, nine of them couldn't pass a basic algebra final if you put one in front of them.  (Bill Gates would be the exception)  If you pursue an education in business or humanities, you can avoid rigorous math courses, and just get all the help you can get and take the slow track (which is always offered because so many otherwise brilliant people are mathematically-challenged).\n\nBe patient, be persistent, keep a quiet mind, and don't be afraid of the possibility that it's just not your bag.  :)
293439
http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/minitext/anxiety/index.asp
21027
(Most of the points are already covered by others  \n but...)\n\nLet me start at the begining.\nWhy do you ask that question ?\nIs maths the only subject you have \nto learn for so many years ?\nAre all the other subjects which you have to study\nfor all these years equally useful ?\nAre you asking this question because you are not\ngood at maths or because you are afraid of it ?\n\nI hope thses questions help you in your\nunderstanding.\n\nIn todays world there is hardly a branch of knowledge\nwhere maths is not used. \nMaths is also used extensively in all walks of\nlife. How can people make good investment decisions ?\nCalculate and pay taxes ? \nMake all kinds of estimates ?\nEven in hobbies : right from gardening, painting etc.\none keeps coming across mathematical ideas.\n\nBut the real use of learning maths is: it helps you\nin developing your analytical/thinking skills.\nMaths is the subject thru which one gets introduced\nto Logic during the school days.\n\nFinally, If you are afraid of ( or bored / are weak \nin ) any subject you can assume that you approach\nto that subject is wrong. This could happen due\nto uninspired teaching, badly written text books, or\nweaknesses in understanding the fundamentals of the\nsubject. This can be overcome by seeking help from\nthose who are good at the subject. Also try to read\nmore about background of the subject like the history\nof the subject and read about the famous persons who\nhave made outstanding contributions to it.\nIf you like to solve puzzles of any kind, if you like\ngood arguments, if you like to read detective\nstories, you can be sure that you can learn to\nenjoy maths.\nAll these will help you gain a better insight and\nunderstanding.\n\nDon't worry too much about the usefulness of\nknowledge when you are young. Because this\nmay not always have very straightforward answers.\n( Reminds me of another question: What is the use\nof a baby ? )\n\nFor those who enjoy maths, maths is an endless\nsource of joy.\n\nJust learn to enjoy maths.\n\nWish you good Luck!
914177
The first is basically "the more you know, the more options you have \navailable." Fractions, geometry, algebra, and trig \nwill all be integrated into just about anything you ever want to \nstudy, and having practiced those things in high school will allow \nyou to not have to worry about relearning them later. Slope-intercept \nform for economic graphs or for population models in biology should be \nsecond nature, so that you don't have to worry about math later and \ncan focus on what you really do want to study.\n\nFor example, let's say you want to be an ecologist. Ecologists often \nstudy population size. Let's say that you're studying a population \nwhose size increases like this: size = 2 * time + 100. This is a \nstandard slope-intercept equation. A lot of people don't want to learn \nslope-intercept because it doesn't seem to have any point. But if you \nunderstand it enough that you don't have to think about it, then when \nyou see an equation like that, you won't have to worry about the math \nat all and you can just think about the ecology.\n\nSo basically, the idea here is that if you learn math now, then when \nyou're confronted with math later in life, you won't have to worry \nabout it at all and instead you can just pay attention to what you \nwant to.\n\nThe alternative strategy is to not learn math now. You can wait and \nsee what math you end up needing for your job or your future education \nand just learn that. That's okay in principle, but you'll end up \nplaying "catch-up" all the time.\n\nWhen I finished the math requirements at college, I was really happy \nat the time because I didn't like math then and I was glad to be done \nwith it. These past couple of years, I've gotten interested in \ncomputer science as a hobby. However, not having any advanced math I \ncan't go very far with it, so if I wanted to do anything with it, I'd \nhave to go back and take a lot of math classes that would've been \neasier for me to take a couple of years ago.\n\nSince you don't know for sure what you're going to do with your life, \nit's best to keep your options open. Of course, you can't learn \neverything, and sooner or later you have to decide what you do want to \nstudy. But, whatever it is, having a good background in math will put \nyou ahead.\n\nThe second reason to study math is that it gives you a different \nperspective on things. I think that most people hate math because it \nis taught just as an exercise in memorization. You get the impression \nthat all there is to math is just a bunch of formulas that you can \nlook up in a book. I think of math as something totally different.  \nCheck out these two links: