The Student Room Group

Mental health issues and GCSES

Im in yr 10 and will be going into yr 11 in September.. just got my first mocks result back..
i got a 5 in English lit and lang , a 5 in Spanish, a 5 in geman , a 5 in combined science, a 4 in maths and a 6 in geography….
I struggle with my mental health and it really impacts me and every thing feels too hard sometimes and i am not a productive person and self discipline feels painful and motivation is never there ….so i left revision to the night before my exams… and honestly apart from Spanish and English i made minimal effort- maths did zero revision because i couldn’t bring myself to care about my future because i didn’t want one… geography did barely any revision and had missed half my lessons… English i did revision the weekend before my exam as both English papers were on a Monday…
Now the pastoral team were proud of me….im not…i feel i should of made a effort with revision but honestly everything feels too difficult even fun stuff… with the summer approaching I want to do revision through so im a bit more prepared for November mocks which are very important but my depressed brain seriously cant be bothered to do anything… and i dont know how to spend my summer in general

Also as soon as i have time to revise i always cant be bothered and it feels to overwhelming and then i think i dont care about my future and wont be here in the future so dont do enough revision then i feel bad and feel im lazy, im a faliure

As much as i want to revise to get good grades i feel i seriously cant and cant be bothered and ot feels so hard but then i feel lazy for it but it also feels so overwhelming and difficult


Help please
Reply 1
Overcoming the slump when you sit at a desk is daunting, but it's doable.
You need to challenge your habits. I have severe depression, and one of the most fundamental things I heard was that I can't control my feelings, but I can control my behaviours in response to those feelings.
I didn't like the way I lived, I didn't like living, I didn't like anything. Yet, nothing was changing. I wasn't escaping life, I wasn't getting better.
My life was going to continue whether I liked it or not, being a failure didn't fit my expectations anymore. So, I got up. I sat down at a desk, and RAG rated the entire specification of subjects bit by bit, and began working on the reds first, watching videos, doing Quizlet flashcards to understand definitions and easy concepts, and then I turned to papers. I made revision enjoyable because I understood the concepts, and then I was good at what I did, and I felt good doing it.
You're not going anywhere as awful as it may seem now, you can't afford to make yourself suffer in the future.
Pick your backside up and sit at the desk, put the work in. Put the work in so you can go into your next set of mocks and improve, and then improve more, and then improve more. So then, when you finally get to the real exams in over a year, you'll know it all naturally. You'll be an expert at the exams, and you'll ace it.
There really isn't a lot to learn once you look at the specifications, and you are more than capable. Take it bit by bit, subunit by subunit each day, keep putting in an additional 2% per day, until you break your habit of a lazy depressive slump and become constructive instead of destructive.

I'm happy to talk more if you wish :smile:
Your life of improvement starts tomorrow
Reply 2
How much revision a day would be good enough?
Which order of subjects should I revise
Any motivational quotes to help me revise while I don’t like being on the planet
Reply 3
Original post by Depressed686
How much revision a day would be good enough?
Which order of subjects should I revise
Any motivational quotes to help me revise while I don’t like being on the planet


Start with two hours but split that with 15-minute breaks if you’ll stick to them with chunk of revision being something different
Start off with the subjects with the biggest content to learn (id say the sciences first) or the ones that are hardest to understand for you
I don’t have quotes unfortunately, just think about getting out of your sad town and going off and being successful while those who didn’t try are still there rotting and wishing they tried harder in their 30s
Reply 4
Okay thanks

Do you know what entry requirements are needed for physchology a level..?
Reply 5
Original post by Depressed686
Okay thanks
Do you know what entry requirements are needed for physchology a level..?


For my college it was like a 6 in English language and a 5 in sciences and maths I think? Maybe not the sciences part
It’ll vary, but it’ll never be more than a 7 for a subject and that’s very doable
I can answer any questions about A-Level psychology since I just finished it if you wish :smile:
Reply 6
What a levels are best to go with a level physchology
Also how can i get 8s and 9s in my real gcses or even im my November mocks while being depressed and struggling but trying my best
hey, i did my GCSES last year (2023) and got grades 7-9 in all my subjects. i’d be happy to give any revision advice for any subjects you particularly struggle with (especially biology and english)
Original post by Depressed686
What a levels are best to go with a level physchology
Also how can i get 8s and 9s in my real gcses or even im my November mocks while being depressed and struggling but trying my best


i do biology sociology and psychology and i fee like they are all very linked and i enjoy them lots. (Although bio is v hard so i wouldn’t suggest unless you rlly like it)

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