Need advice

[JORDANHOPE]

Hi,

My name's Jordan and I'm currently really struggling to get motivated to do work. I know that everyone struggles to get movtivated sometimes, but I feel like this is different. I have so many overdue assignments that I just can't start. I will stare at a blank page for hours and not do anything. I'm not always unmotivated, there are times where I feel really motivated to do work, but it never lasts. I've mentioned this to my parents, but they just brush it off as me being a lazy person. They both work so hard and I can barely manage to do a couple of assignments, which is pathetic. I feel like a disappointment and a failure. I don't know what to do and I need some advice. How do I stay motivated to do work?

Thanks in advance,

Jordan

[Zeal]

Hi Jordan,

Welcome to the forum!

I can very much relate to this feeling. It's not laziness, and it's more than just procrastination. It's avoidance behaviour, and can make you feel guilty, anxious, frustrated and even ashamed. I struggled with this in Year 12. It's like 'self-destructing' when it comes to school academia. This can stem from a fear of failure or of not doing something 'just right'. Perfectionism coupled with low self-esteem and/or anxiety can lead to this frustrating cycle of avoidance.

If you don't mind me asking, have you suffered from mental illness in the past? If you are concerned about how you have been feeling, seeing a doctor (GP) is a good idea.

There are plenty of sites that give tips to get motivated, but these can only help on the surface. Talking to your school counsellor and/or a trusted teacher about this frustration could help. It's important to get to the root of why this pattern of avoidance behaviour is hard to break.

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=50 This resource is about how to conquer procrastination. There is a lot of info here, so please don't feel that you have to read it all (though of course you can)! It's a good link to add to your computer favourites in case you need tips now or in the future.

Here are some previous forum threads that could have useful insights/advice for you. The situations are not the same as yours, but the advice is sound:

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/study-tactics#qhnr8XHzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/supporting-family-and-friends-with-a-mental-health-condition-(carers)/procrastination-to-anxiety-to-self-loathing#qhqPE3HzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/young-people/anxiety-is-ruining-my-studies#qfW14XHzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A

It would be great to hear back from you 🙂

Best wishes,

Zeal

[MsPurple]

Hi Jordanhope and welcome

I finished uni last year and I feel your pain about struggling to get motivated and feeling overwhelmed with assignments at uni. Something I wish I was told before my last year of uni was about disability services. If you have a mental illness you are eligible to use these services (you will need your GP to fill out a form from your uni). They can help you by giving you a personal achedemic plan. Sometimes they can help you with extentions etc (I know someone who had bad anxiety and requested to sit at the front of the exam hall to reduce anxiety and disability services helped them get the seating appropriate for them). I was on placement when I joined the services so they allowed me to go to appointments once every three weeks if required and also I could get extra time on placement without failing if I had a flair up on placement. It was a great security blanket for me and really helped knowing my uni was behind me. Disability services also don't have to tell your course coordinator why you are using their services. They do tell them you are using the service but not what for (you could be diabeteic for all your coordinator knows). I suggest enquiring about it at your current university because it would help a lot. Trust me I wish I know about it because I probably would have done so much better

Hope this helps. Steph