A bad grade isn’t a verdict on you. It’s a report on what you did, and that part you can change.

A mark measures a particular piece of work in a particular week, and the mind turns it into a statement about your worth within about two seconds. Those are very different claims. The first comes with a list of things you could do, and the second comes with nothing at all except the feeling.

Read the paper rather than only the number, and write down the three things that cost you most. Pick one for this week. If the feeling is still heavy afterwards, that is normal, and it does not have to be settled before you start the list.