Motivation

[Edie_523]

Hi everyone, i wanted to ask on some advice.

I am in VCE, in my late teens, i have a history of depression and anxiety and was suffering from severe depression most of last year. I have gotten better and no longer struggle to find a will to live and i now have the motivation to go to school because i moved schools and now go to a performing arts school which caters for what i want to do. However for quite sometime now i have been finding it very hard to have any source of motivation to do school work.. or any work for that matter. Even in things i enjoy doing. I do struggle to find motivation to eat, ill skip meals all because i can't be bothered preparing something, sometimes ill have a packed lunch for school but then i won't eat it when im at school and i could go a whole day without eating and not care less. However i do refuse to eat junkfood. I am failing in most of my classes and i don't seem to care, but i do really want to finish my VCE i just can't find any motivation to actually act on it. I know that if i put my head down and work hard on something i can come out with something really great! But part of me does not want to do that.

As it is starting to come towards the middle of the year i have started to notice more and more of how much effort i don't put in compared to my class mates, they seem to put in so much effort and work and i'll have no idea how they do it.

In every aspect of myself i feel fine, i seem to have this motivation in my head but i can't seem to act on it!

Any ideas on why this might be the case?

Thanks.

[Zeal]

Hi Edie,

Welcome to the forum!

I'm glad to hear that you have overcome the worst of the depression, and feel more stable and happy within yourself. It's great that you were able to shift to a school that specialises in your area of interest. Is that acting or singing or something else? I have zero talent in the area of performing arts, but I like to hear about other people who do have these talents!

This struggle to motivate yourself to eat and to be involved in schoolwork is concerning. Despite saying you feel fine, I feel that it's really important that you see the school counsellor. Going to a doctor (GP) to check-in is also wise. A lack of nutrients from food would definitely affect your cognitive ability, which would make concentrating on schoolwork incredibly difficult. This lack of motivation/will to eat and do school-related work could be a sign that depressive symptoms are returning. Seeking professional help is important. Also, talking to a family member about this is a good idea. Having that emotional support is vital.

It would be great to hear back from you!

Best wishes,

Zeal