What is the hardest project or scenario you've ever faced?

Trying to learn to solve partial differential equations. These relate rates of functions of multiple variables and are used for describing the dynamics of a system, and their solutions make predictions about how the system evolves.

- by hand

- without any experience writing meaningfully heterogenous proofs

- without being able to construct any relevant equations from models

- without a good understanding of the origin of Bessel or Airy series

- without having lists of criteria committed or understanding of when series solutions are called for

- without understanding solving systems of differential equations

- without any significant motivating application to strive towards at the time

- without considerable practice teaching myself things, since the lectures felt like a kitchen knife piano ballet https://youtu.be/x93DsA7UHhs

I eventually broke down and sat in the library for hours at a time making a handwritten copy of the exposition of the textbook, hoping something would stick. I was passed.

Getting out of an alcoholic/neglectful/abusive/suicidal childhood home without complete self-destruction. Worked, still haunted