My Grades are bad. I am too sad to study. What do I do?

[mordecai]

Last year I was doing well in school and even got some awards. I could tell that I was happier then and my grades definitely reflected that. At the beginning of this year I had my first few assessments and I did not do as well as I thought ~ 70 for each unit. As the year progressed I started seeing my grades plummet to the 60s and 50s. And for the first time, I failed a few aswell. I still fail to study more in my room and instead resort to video games because I am too sad to write something or solve anything. I don’t know how to get back on track. 

[yours_truly]

Hey Mordecai,

I am a Highschool student myself and honestly what you are experiencing right now is something I am going through as well. I find it challenging to open my books and deal with the overwhelming need to do good at school. I think it's a defence mechanism, one which is letting me down by a lot. 

I have made some progress though! I find that setting really tiny goals that sometimes may even sound a little pathetic, even the most tiniest things, always help. For example, I might set a goal like, "open my biology book", or "Write a heading" Once I tick off one goal, the rest just happens naturally. This gets me going and helps make a difference. Even if I did only 3 minutes of work, that's still 3 more minutes than I would've done before. 

I know that it can be daunting to have to face decreasing grades and deal with everything else. But try changing your standards. Don't hold yourself to the same academic goals as when you weren't going through a lot. Be kind to yourself and work upwards.

I hope you find the answers you need,

Yours_truly

[quirkywords]

Mordecai

It is hard to study when sad and discouraged and the less you study the sadder you are,

yours truly mentions small goals and that is helpful. Open book, read for 5 mins, and if you feel like it take notes and do 5 mins.

I found that the the thought of studying is worse than actually doing it.

Can You talk to someone at school who can understand and help.