Currently I am in NA sec 4 and I am struggling with N levels and also moving houses. I feel extremely stressed seeing other people progressing faster than me in their studies and I feel even more stressed not having a proper study environment at home. I also no longer feel motivated to do anything. I just don’t want to do anything anymore. I don’t know what I like to do, I dont even feel interested in what I want to do in future anymore. I just want to lie down on my bed and sleep forever. Worse is that I need motivation to go outside my house to study which takes up so much energy because leaving the house is tiring by itself. I am struggling to keep up with school work and my grades are slipping. Not only that, N levels is around the corner and I have been slacking despite wanting to study so badly for my N levels yet I am unable to bring myself to do it. I have also been struggling with sleep, at times waking up in the middle of the night for no random reason before going back to sleep. It is already tiring for me to go to school everyday because everyday the alarm rings and I will keep hitting the snooze button until I realise I am late, quickly get ready and then rush out the house, running like a madman to the bus stop. Lastly, recently, I have deleted all my social media, hoping for things to improve, yet i feel even more stressed and unmotivated. When I download the apps back, I spend more than 15 hours on my phone, scrolling endlessly, unaware of the time. I will literally lie down in bed, scrolling mindlessly, unaware and forgetting that I haven’t showered, haven’t eaten, heaven slept well and haven’t studied. Please suggest some advice on how I can atleast get EMB3 16 on my N levels, thank you! (NOTE: I also feel a lot of pressure from my school because everybody is very competitive, constantly comparing marks and some teachers assuming that I am lazy and uninterested in studying. I feel stress from my family because everyone from my family came from much unfortunate backgrounds like coming from NT or dropping out of secondary school. I also feel pressure on myself to score as amazingly as I can so I can go to sec 5 and progress to JC with ease and my older brother who did really well for his N(A) levels and other teachers who know that I come from NT and have high expectations of me)
hey:) im from secondary one. And i know what its like to feel pressured. I also have a brother who is older, and way better in his studies, than me.it can hurt at times but you have to keep moving forward. Good things take time.be patient and take breaks. If you study to much it can take a toll on your mental health.i hope you do well.be safe and happy<3
jc2 student here :”) i know what it feels like to be constantly unmotivated and not wanting to study. tbh i feel that too with As.
you could try to have little rewards for yourself after you finish studying a little bit so you have some motivation to study. something my friend advised me to do was to just study a little more than i did the prev day, aka you don’t need to suddenly study 2h if you haven’t even been studying recently, take small baby steps. i know it sounds crazy given how near N levels are, but doing just a bit a day is better than doing nothing at all, or trying to study for super long durations of time and then feeling unmotivated.
for Os i also felt really unmotivated to study but luckily i was able to last minute study; something i tried for one of my subjs was to go to the syllabus document and find the list of learning outcomes, then highlight the ones i didn’t know and write out all the learning outcomes in a notebook so i had a very nice summary of the subject. (not sure if i explained it well but hope u sorta understand.) i found that it helped a lot and pulled my grade up significantly for that subject. maybe you want to try this? having some structure might help.
some advice from me though:
you may want to reconsider going to jc… it’s really not for everyone and i’m highly regretting coming here. if the only reason you want to make it to jc is because it seems like a better option than poly and makes you seem smart, (or maybe because jc is 2 years while poly is 3,) i would really advise against it going to jc really means you have to enjoy what you’re studying and actually study, i was struggling so much to study for Os and now i’m suffering because As is so much harder and you can’t really last minute study anymore. going to poly and choosing to study something you’re actually interested in could be much better than going to jc and struggling again.
that said, you could still try and do well enough to qualify for a jc but you can just make the choice not to go :”) i know a lot of people who had an l1r5 less than 10 for Os but still chose to go poly!
sorry for the long essay but hope this helped! jiayous for Ns and i hope you’ll push on well for this last lap! you got this
I feel you. I’ve been where you are before. I lost so much motivation that I failed everything and dropped out. What happened after that was much like what’s happening with you right now. I had no energy, I didn’t want to eat or shower, I just wanted to stay in bed and when I’m on my phone I’ll just scroll for hours. I felt miserable, stressed and ashamed for dropping out. This is just speculation because I’m not a professional but you may be going through depression. You are not being lazy.
These are just a few tips, hope they help. Even if you feel like you have no energy to move, get up anyway and move around. It’s even better if you go outside, take a short walk or ride the bus around the neighbourhood. Being isolated and alone isn’t the best, so a change in scenery may help. Hot showers are nice too and don’t forget to eat. Eat what makes you feel happy.
Having N Levels on the horizon maybe overwhelming you too, so you can break them down into smaller tasks when you study. The key is to make a big job like studying for N Levels feel smaller. So, break it down into steps. Keep them bite-sized. One thing that helped me in Sec School was writing my own notes. I kept my notes short and simple, something I can just look over very quickly if I need to. I add different colour highlighters and pens to make it interesting. And, play your favourite music while you do it! Studying isn’t fun but you can still make it as enjoyable as you can.
The main point is to just focus on yourself. Don’t put too much stock on what other people think. This isn’t about them. You’re doing this for you and just you. You’re not alone here. You’re definitely not lazy. Believe in yourself. I’m not just saying that to be cheesy. You’re capable of more than you think. I truly wish you the best.
Hello @Grandberryvanillaice! Took my N(A) levels a couple of years back and did well enough to get into PFP. I can only imagine going thru what you are going thru now with so many expectations to live up to :')
I struggled alot with managing stress during my Nlevels but a couple of things helped me manage it:
Pace yourself, there is no need to grid 6hrs or even an entire day. What I did was plan out what subjects and chapters I want to study and focus on more.
Play to your strengths! For example I was stronger at my English, Emath and Science but weaker in my chinese and Amath, so i allocated my energy towards what I know I can score well in. After all EMB3 only requires your English Math and Best 3 subjects and its extremely difficult in such a short time master so many subjects. This significantly reduced the amount of stress I was feeling as I realised I didn’t need to be good and everything.
Find a study group. Finding the right group of people to study and learn tgt has a couple of benifits. One is the company haha knowing that you are not going thru this alone another would be being able to teach and learn from each other. Explaining concepts to my friends and learning how they understood other concepts helped me well… understand the topic more haha Additionally it keeps everyone accountable for each other which helps build discipline to study!
Try your best and do it for yourself simple as that! You have made the jump from NT to NA and that is not easy so try your best and it will get you far eventually. trust me heh even if the results dont show in the short term
Hmm ofc all that being said, remember that this is not the end all be all there are many paths for you to seek help and succeed. You can do this just take it one step at a time
I’m really sorry to hear that you’re going through such a tough time. It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot of pressure and stress, and it’s completely understandable that you’re feeling overwhelmed. It’s okay to feel this way, and it’s important to take care of yourself during difficult times.
While I may not be able to provide advice / solutions, here are a few coping strategies that you may wish to try out:
Start by taking small steps in your studies. Break down your tasks into manageable chunks and focus on one thing at a time. You can use a planner or a to-do list to help organize your study sessions.
Find a quiet and comfortable place to study, whether it’s at a library, a friend’s house, or even a quiet corner in a cafe. Having a conducive study environment can make a big difference in productivity.
Reach out to someone you trust, whether it’s a family member, a teacher, or a school counselor. It’s important to have someone to talk to about what you’re going through, and they might be able to offer support and guidance.
Practice self-care. Try to get enough sleep, eat healthily, and engage in activities that you enjoy. Taking care of your well-being is crucial, especially during stressful times.
Remember, it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. You’re not alone, and there are people who care about you and want to support you through this. If you ever need to talk, feel free to reach out. You’ve got this, and things can get better with time and effort.
going to jc really means you have to enjoy what you’re studying and actually study, i was struggling so much to study for Os and now i’m suffering because As is so much harder and you can’t really last minute study anymore. going to poly and choosing to study something you’re actually interested in could be much better than going to jc and struggling again.
another would be being able to teach and learn from each other. Explaining concepts to my friends and learning how they understood other concepts helped me well… understand the topic more haha Additionally it keeps everyone accountable for each other which helps build discipline to study!
