My prelims are tomorrow and I can’t absorb anything. There is zero knowledge in my brain and all I remember is nothing. I want to do well but at this point my life feels miserable because I feel very burnt out, and I think I won’t do well in my prelims and O-levels.
I always procastinate, yet at the same time my schedule gets tighter because I have commitments outside of school. I’m just freaking out at this point.
Hi @undying_sun,
Sorry for the late reply as I had a rather busy day.
I hear your struggles, and it’s okay to reach out and let someone know you’re struggling.
If you feel extremely distressed and need to find something to ground yourself, you may wish to try the 4-7-8 breathing method, which may help with the anxiety surrounding your exams. (4-7-8 breathing: How it works, benefits, and uses).
If you need immediate crisis support, you may wish to contact National Mindline, which is available 24/7. You may contact the helpline at 1771 (phone call) or +65 6669 1771 (WhatsApp).
Do let us know how your prelims go tomorrow! I wish you all the best. 
Best regards,
HanSolo2000
Befriender | let’s talk by mindline
Hello @undying_sun thank you for sharing, I hear how overwhelming and stressful everything seems to be :(( as someone who was in your position before, I really understand how it feels to try and cram before the exam only to feel mind blank. I can tell the stress of juggling work and other commitments is weighing on you, making you feel burnt out and unable to feel confident about the results.
I just want to reassure you to trust the process (eek! sounds hard I know!). You’re stressed because you care about your Os. And even though it feels like you can’t absorb anything the night before the prelims, take the prelims as a milestone check for your current knowledge and learn from any mistakes to strive better for Os. Sometimes we feel like things are out of control but maybe we can look and see what are some things within our control. What can you do now to make you feel calmer? What are things you can do after prelims to help you with Os?
All the best with your prelims tomorrow and I’m rooting for you!! <3
Dear @undying_sun, I would first wish you all the very best for prelim tomorrow. You got this! I hear how burnt out you are feeling, and the fear that you might potentially not do well for prelim or the O levels. But lets take a step back and look at it objectively. You HAVE studied. You HAVE worked hard. Yes you might procrastinate but you ARE still studying while juggling other commitment outside of school. You have more on your plate than others, and can we take a moment to just acknowledge that?
You have been incredible, being able to hold on for so long. I hope that whatever the results might be for your prelims tmr or O level, you can remember that you are not defined by grades, and that you are enough. And have faith that YOU WILL DO WELL! Doing well need not be just scoring incredibe grades (which i have faith you will achieve it eventually), but also doing well mentally, socially and physically. You will do well, I believe in you.
Sleep early tonight, and remember to take a deep breathe before you go for your exams tmr!
Hi @undying_sun thank you for sharing your experiences. Exams are really stressful, and being burnt out and miserable sounds exhausting. It makes sense that procrastination hits when we’re feeling exhausted – after all, if we’re burnt out, our brains probably don’t want to work even more. Yet, I hear the exams are coming up so I can imaging how stressful that might be.
Whatever happens tomorrow, it will be okay. If there are moments when your brain blanks out, take some deep breaths and pause. Calming ourselves might help some information come back to us, or help us focus on the stuff that you do know how to answer. Even though this might sound strange – you don’t have to do well. You just need to do your best, and that is enough. You are important and matter regardless of your grades <3
Hi OP,
I’m really sorry you’re feeling very stressed right now. When there’s just so many things going on, your brain just gets so overwhelmed.
This may sound easier said than done, but I want to assure you that it’s not the end of the world. You have done your absolute best, to the point of sacrificing your mental health. But even with your shortcomings, you’re still doing the best you can. Even if things are not easy now, I want you to know that you’ve done your best. Even if things are not okay now, it will be okay in the future.
I’m wishing you the best on your prelims! Do the best you can, and give yourself a treat or a break after everything is done 
Hey @undying_sun I’m sorry to hear you have trouble studying. It must be really stressful and overwhelming, especially with prelims and Os coming up. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must feel too.
You mentioned your prelims are tomorrow, and that must be really scary but honestly, at this point, if nothing is absorbing, it might be best to just call it a night, and go to sleep. You’ll have a clearer mind tomorrow and you can work with whatever information you already know. Rather than try to study till late tonight when you don’t have the energy to retain the information anyway.
It also sounds like you are really burnt out, so after prelims you might actually want to take a week or two off from studying for Os. Even though it seems like you are not being productive, taking this break could really help you focus later on when you do get back to it. It’s important to take care of yourself during this period, not just physically, but mentally too.
All that said, at stressful as major exams are, I’d like you to know that your grades don’t define you. Even if you don’t get the grade you want, I can see that you are really trying your best and that is more than enough. You can do this, okay? All the best, and if you’d like to share more, please do so.
Hey, I hear how stressed and burnt out you’re feeling right now. It makes total sense—prelims are around the corner, you’ve been juggling school and other commitments, and the pressure to do well can feel overwhelming. You’re not alone in this—lots of students go through the same cycle of procrastination, panic, and burnout, especially before big exams.
Even if it feels like “nothing” is in your brain, trust that you’ve absorbed more than you realize from all the time you’ve spent in class and studying. Sometimes stress just makes it harder to recall things in the moment.
Also, giving yourself short breaks to rest and breathe might actually help your memory stick better than forcing yourself to push through exhaustion. Even if tomorrow doesn’t go perfectly, prelims are really a stepping stone—they show you where to focus before O-levels, not a final judgment of your worth.
You clearly care about your future and are trying hard despite feeling burnt out, and that says a lot about your determination. You’ve got this—just take it one step at a time.