It sounds to me (not that I'm an expert in any way) that, frankly, you're doing too much. See if you can find a day to RELAX. Over the weekend, and just sit around all day. Take a bath with smelling salts. Go for a walk in the woods. Stay off cricket and DONT write or read. I have had days like your before, I was just burned out. Take a break when you can. Stay up a little later than usual and watch a movie. Splurge your money for some clothes or books. Go shopping. Do SOMETHING that you don't normally do. 

Rose bud, honestly, I know how you feel. It wasn't the same amount of work, but in sixth grade last year, at times I felt so completely swamped with schoolwork and really horrible. I'd just say lay off a bit. Maybe compose a schedule for yourself-- write things down with due dates, don't do everything all at once, and give yourself breaks. After a while work just starts to bunch up in your brain and you can't get anything done. Just stay calm, try to relax, and do your best to stay on top of things. Write big posters in your room if you have to.

I'm trying to follow that schedule this year, if that helps. Seventh grade is supposed to be incredibly stressful because it's a lot of work and the year that high schools look at. Last year I procrastinated, underestimated the homework, and ended up a horrible mess (well, not really, but I was not happy with some of my grades and did not do well in terms of homework). Just remember the school year's barely begun. There's still time to flip yourself over, get situated, and do really well.

Ok, Rosy, take a deep breath. Slowly let it fill you, hold it for a few seconds, then slowly let it out. Ok. Good. 

It sounds to me like you are putting too much pressure on yourself. I think your stressing yourself out. Make sure you get outside and excercise, because it helps with stress. Try making yourself a scedule of everything you need to do, write it down, and follow it. Don't compare yourself to your brother- everyone learns differently. You aren't a skimper! You just work at a different pace than he does. Remember: Inch by inch, it's a sinch. Mile by mile, it's a trial. That means don't try to get everything done all at once. Pace yourself. You can do it.

Tell yourself that you are smart, you are good at this, you are doing fine. This will keep you from freaking and help you focus and calm down. You got this, girl! You can do it! 

Like Daisy and Cocky little burr said, you sound like your overloaded and need a break. So take a deep breath. Slow down a bit. Definetely make a schedule. I would not survive without a schedule. *groans* I'm not good giving advice.

*disappears in a puff of smoke* 

Hi Rose bud, I had a similar problem last year. I was taking my first online math class. My teacher assigned loads of homework that I had trouble completing, and I got all stressed out when I saw what I had to do. My older brother was taking calculus, and he didn't seem to have any homework at all. Calculus! Usually between the two of us, I'm more of the academic one, especially in math, so this was really frustrating.

But like the others have said, it helps to take a break and not obsess when you've got a lot to do. It's good to do fifteen minutes or so of work, take ten minutes doing something else, then go back to your work. Breaking homework into smaller pieces can make it much more doable.

One thing that helped me personally was listening to music without words while I worked. Midway through the year I found a bunch of really relaxing classical guitar albums, and they just kind of calmed my brain so I could get the homework done much more easily.

On a side note, isn't A Gathering of Days so dull?! I had to read that one too!

Make a balanced schedule to follow. Don't do to much. So say like I'll get 1 page of ____ done and 2 pages of ______each day.