I am having issues with motivation in life

[Rory1]

In the past 4-6 months I've begun to realise that I don't really care about stuff anymore and what I choose to do is ranked on how much I dislike doing it to other options instead of how much I like it. I am 13, in grade 9 and in our schools extension class aimed for kids that can extend their learning and do more than most kids can but even though I'm in a harder class than normal I never study for any tests and I recently pretended to send in my assignment which is blank and I don't really care that the teacher will realise it's now the school holidays and I know I'll make up some excuse for it later. This is what I have done for all my tests, assignments and homework since grade 7 and I wasn't much better in the grades below them. I'm not sure what I like or am interested in anymore and I have found that if I don't want to do something I just won't and I really don't care about consequences that much. How can I move around this issue and be more positive and motivated with things I do. Also if you do give a good and reasonable reply expect me to disagree I have realised I am very negative and stubborn at times.

[Quercus]

Hi Rory1,

Welcome to the forums and I'm really sorry to hear you're having such a difficult time right now.

I'm going to give you the daggy Mum answer (because that's what I am)...

Have you spoken to your family about how you're feeling? Is there a family member or trusted adult friend who you could show your post to?

This is probably not the answer you were looking for I'm sorry. But it's important that you have someone who knows you and can help you in practical ways (for example by talking to your school, helping you try out new hobbies, taking you to a career expo at a university or even going to the doctor with you).

Talking on the forums helps too but (as a mum) I'm more worried that you are a 13 years old and it's important that your family/guardian knows what is going on so that they can try and help you too.

I am thinking of you and am hoping to hear you are getting some support soon. Take care of yourself in the meantime.

I hope

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Rory1,

Thanks for your post.

There's something that surprises me a lot about your post and it's the fact that even though you say you don't care about the consequences and you're not motivated, you're here. That shows me that maybe theres a part of you that cares and wants to change. Why?

There's lots of tips about how to motivate yourself on the internet and I'm a big reader so I've read a lot of them but I think the key one is find your why.

This can be really hard if you're not sure what you're interested in or what happens after school; maybe uni, maybe tafe, maybe work, maybe a parent.. there are a lot of options out there for you. Finding what you like can be hard but often it might be subtle; like things you like reading about, or what you like to watch on TV, or even things where you feel like you could talk about for ages.

I also agree with Quercus in that it would probably help to have a chat about this with someone you know - whether it's a teacher, friend, family or a school counsellor if you have one. You don't need to keep this in and maybe they'd have some more advice for you.