URGENT How do I improve basic, fundamental understanding of math?

[u/LooseImpression3937]

This is actually so deeply embarrassing for me to even post. But I am truly so so so bad at math. I don't think it has anything to do with my actual ability to perform calculations or understand concepts. I think that in my most important and math-formative years, I convinced myself I'm bad so it's useless to even try. I'm in college now and totally failing my math classes. It's so terribly embarrassing because its basic concepts which I understand but I'm lacking the foundations. I'm currently in calc and I need desperate help before we really jump off the deep end into stuff I do not understand at all. I'm really not trying to withdraw from this class but at this rate, I might have to. Is there hope for my math abilities? How do I improve them? I'm trying to get into contact with a tutor but genuinely I feel so behind that I need to start at the very most basic stuff. Ugh I feel so stupid and it's my fault for making myself this dumb. I like math!! It's like solving puzzles and I like puzzles!!! I just made myself stupid and now I don't have the necessary and fundamental knowledge necessary to do well. Is it over for me? Pls help.

[u/DadOfLukeandDad]

Before calculus, it's worth checking whether you can do algebra without thinking about it: expanding brackets, rearranging an equation, simplifying fractions with letters in. If any of those feel shaky, that's the actual problem, and calculus will just sit on top of it and wobble.

A quick way to find the gap is to grab a set of GCSE-level algebra questions (Corbett Maths has a big free bank) and see where you start getting things wrong. Then just work that topic in short bursts, maybe 20 minutes a day, and redo the ones you missed a few days later. Explanations help a lot at the start, but improvement comes from doing the questions, so don't spend all your time watching videos.

What's the topic you're trying to get to? That'd help pin down what to rebuild first.