Thanks! I agree I’m probably underestimating the effect that my left-handedness could be having on this struggle. Maybe I don’t want to think about it lol because I really hemmed and hawed about which way to start learning, I took a bunch of handedness tests and even had a guitar teacher assess and give me advice (he thought I looked more natural pretending to strum with my right hand). Although whenever I’d “air guitar” it was always left handed. I guess what ultimately pushed me towards right handed was a lot of talk on Reddit and other communities about why left handed ppl might prefer to go right handed. Some reasons being that everything is made for righties, chord diagrams, guitars, etc. And once you learn to play and end up at a party or camping and someone whips out a guitar 99 times of 100 it will be a righty so you’re out of luck joining in. And many guitars aren’t even made lefty. So I made my choice. I can’t say I don’t sometimes regret it though! 
Thanks so much! I agree with what you and others have said, it’s just going to take a lot more focused practice 
Thank you so much for your comment! It’s a good reminder to see all the other people commenting with strumming struggles. I agree that I need to spend more time focusing on the strumming and it should come with practice
6 months is real quick to get to Grade 3. It took me over 6 months just to get the F Barre chord sounding right.
You hit the nail in the head with regards to my own issues. I’m always comparing myself to others and when I don’t achieve what they have, I feel inferior and “what’s the point, I’ll never be good like them” attitude. If I don’t know or perfect something almost instantly, I quit. It’s the same attitude I have with my furniture restoration. If I didn’t see progress/perfection, I’d become despondent and give in. It’s only taken me 57 years to realise, I’m always looking at the end result of others and not the journey it also took them to get there, which no doubt resembles ours……we’re all in the same boat, learning one step, one day at the time 
I’m sorry to hear you’re having the same problem. Hopefully the comments we’ve received will help you as well. You can take some comfort in the fact that you’re not alone with this struggle. Let’s keep at it!
Yes it’s so easy to focus on the areas where we’re not perfect and totally discounting the aspects we are doing well in. It’s important to enjoy the journey because it will never end, there will always be more to learn
Agree. I’ve put too much pressure on myself to be ‘the best’ but I’m now adopting the same attitude. One day at a time and it’ll happen. I know I’m not about to be the next John Butler but if I can play some tunes, that’s all I’m hoping to get out of it.
Thank you
I’m also a lefty who started righty. I play both LH and RH now as it is difficult to feel which I’m best at as a beginner. Fretting with the LH is more articulate than the right but I do see a difference in strumming. The RH is robotic and the LH is much more fluid. I also know the feeling of practice not sounding like music but it will improve.
Haha, yes the left handed struggle is real! This was a really tough decision to make and I’ll probably always wonder if it was the right one. But, if I had gone the other way I would have wondered the same thing for other reasons (lack of guitar options, can’t just play anyone’s guitar). Hopefully it will come with practice!
I had a friend just explain strumming to me very succinctly and I thought I’d share it because it really made sense to me as to why it might not happen right away. He said, the strumming hand needs to become like a “background motor pattern”, ingrained and automatic. I thought that was a really good way to put words to it.
Right on, Bex! 
That’s the key to guitar imo, I tell myself the same when feeling discouraged. “Just keep at it” and before I know it I’ve moved past that down and feel enthusiastic again. Keep on chugging and you’ll get there for sure! 
Hi Bex 
As everyone says 6 months is nothing. I struggled and still struggles with strumming, im 2 years into guitar now.its very very slowly getting better. So dont hit yourself so hard for not master that in 6 months, for some of us strumming is a skill hard to master.
Its not just your strumming tempo, its about dynamic as well, go softer,harder, faster and slower in different parts that makes it sound like music…
wish you best of luck, try out all the good tips and youll nail this soon enough, just remember to have fun doing it
I’m not sure if anyone has already mentioned it Bex but do you ever play along to original song? You pick up so much more by doing that and it really helps you feel the music.
YouTube is your friend and there is also this place where you can customise and download tracks.
Thanks! It’s nice to be reminded about how normal it is to have this struggle!
Thanks! I’ll check out that site!
Thank you 
Great name by the way. 
I would comment on the left/right playing. I am also a lefty (strong lefty) playing righty.
I have my reasons to have chosen this and I feel it is often the right choice for anyone, but not always.
Yet, @LievenDV is not at all wrong about some of the difficulties. I accept that I need remediation with right hand tasks. I definitely need extra time working on strumming, timing, comfort and fluidity, finger picking, rhythm, pretty much everything.
So, for the advantages I gain from playing righty, I think it is worth it. Partly because I think it is very good for my brain to get my right hand up to speed.
So, I do think you will need more training than average for some things because of that. Of course you will. But that is ok. As with all the comments of getting to grade 3 in 6 months, remember, this is not a race, it is a journey and is about a journey that is fun and challenging, not really about an end point.
Try adding some non-guitar right handed tasks to your life. Brush your teeth with your right hand for example. Start making it normal. I am almost where I can start brushing my teeth righty to a metronome!
Good point about getting out right hand up to speed being good for the brain. That’s a benefit for me to keep in mind especially being 45 and already feel like my memory is slipping 
. Also a good idea to brush teeth right handed!