Struggling with my VCE

[Samuel]

A few weeks ago I had a TC seizure, and it took about two weeks before I could even start working again. Since then, everything has piled up.

Right now I have about 4 weeks of catch-up across 5 subjects, including SACs. That’s a minimum of 120 hours of work, which is at least 5 full days straight with no breaks, and it’s impossible to realistically get it all done. Just one subject takes me over 6 hours a day.

I don’t even have time for the things I enjoy, like art-I would spend all day every day drawing if I could. I also have daily responsibilities at home that take around 3 hours, which makes it even harder to find time and energy to work. Even when I try to focus, I’m dealing with brain fog and procrastination, and I just can’t keep up.

Mentally, I feel completely burnt out. I’ve always had a strong work ethic and pushed myself, but this is different. I genuinely can’t keep up anymore. I’m at the point where I’m considering dropping VCE entirely, even though I had plans to go into nursing.

I feel stuck and overwhelmed, and I haven’t been able to talk to my family about it because they expect a lot from me. Right now I just feel exhausted and unsure of what to do.

I’m not really sure what I need, but I know I can’t keep going like this.

Note: I suffer from Epilepsy and IBD (UC)

[Guest_32371814]

Hey Samuel,

You sound so drained, based on what you’ve said I’m not surprised you feel burnt out. 
You sound like a practically minded person so perhaps speaking to the school support team about your situation would help. If they’re made aware how your medical issue has led to you falling behind they can put a plan in place for an amended workload/study requirement. But they can’t help you if they don’t know you need help. 
Ask your year coordinator who the best person is to get some advice on this so you can catch up. You’ve worked really hard and it would be a shame to waste that effort because you didn’t lean on all supports available to you. 

[Psychdiaries2]

Hi there,

A warm welcome back to the forums, I'm glad you reached out to us!

I'm sorry to hear about the tough time you're going through today. I relate to your post a lot because I finished VCE almost 2 years ago and I nearly burnt out, I was struggling so much. It's no joke how much work studying is and it is understandable that you feel exhausted and frustrated with everything. I know you have a lot on your plate right now. 

Yes, I agree with Guest_32371814 that speaking to your school coordinators and teachers is the best thing to do now. It's not up to you to bear it all alone. Please ask for help, it is completely unrealistic to do VCE without any support. Especially with your medical situation, I think you guys would be able to organise something. Also, later on in the year you can apply for SEAS (your career advisor will talk to everyone about this) which gives you some consideration for what you've gone through in schooling and ensure you get into your dream course. 

It sounds like you are passionate about art which is a great hobby. I know it feels overwhelming right now, but do you think you could set aside a small amount of time each week to do the thing you love? Or perhaps before you go to bed as a winding down activity you could do a bit. It is so important to still have a life besides VCE by forcing yourself to relax, even in short bursts. If you're not doing anything that is fun or enjoyable, then I think it's hard to keep going. That's when you get beat down. I myself find it hard to relax because I feel the need to always be doing something, but sometimes you just have to force yourself to have some time to do something you love.

Lastly, I think that if you are passionate about nursing and willing to do it after VCE, do it.  Worrying about the future only makes you feel frozen in the present so try not to be too hard on yourself. You sound like a determined, hard working person, I don't see a reason why you wouldn't be able to pursue your goals. 

I know VCE is a lot to say the least. You're not alone in your experiences and struggles. I hope this helps. Reach out whenever you need for support. You are always welcome here and if you need any other tips/strategies, let me know. Take care of yourself today. Your health is your top priority.