I am a college student and I have been struggling a lot lately. I have no motivation and I often feel down, not feeling like doing anything, being lazy. I used to be a straight-A student, a perfectionist, a very hard-worker and now, in my second year in college, I'm having a hard time. It's not that I can'd do well or because I'm not smart. I am procrastinating and lacking motivation.My life is boring, there's nothing interesting going on other than school and all my friends are busy with school too. I like my program but I still struggle. I get B's, but I want to do better. I go to my classes, I do the minimum required, don't care much about it although I have long term goals and graduate school in mind. I come home, I'm too tired to do the work properly so once again, I do the minimum required. This is a typical day. I'm actually not doing much, but pretending to... If you've seen the movie The Visitor, I'm exactly like the main character: the professor who "pretends" to live his life and do his work. I need help. I'm sick of being like this. I want to be super motivated and a top student again. But I'm clueless as to what to do at this point. I should probably talk to a counselor but I don't dare

Wow, it sounds like your in the Same situation that I'm in. I am also in my second year of college and everything you said, I am experiencing. You say that you lack motivation... well think about long term goals that you want to attain and apply that to your motivation. I dropped out of college my freshman year and I sat on the couch for six months, worst thing I have ever done. My motivation is to not end up like that and make something of myself. You also say your life is boring... go out and try new things and make new friends. Go to your local starbucks or bookstore and strike up a conversation with a stranger. I do it all the time and I made tons of new friends. Plus it will make you feel good about yourself by having a simple conversation. And I also get very tired during the day as well, so I exercise and that keeps me energized throughout the day. Nobody can help you get what you desire, you have to reach deep down and believe in yourself. If at times you feel like crap, write it down in a notebook, writing your feelings helps a lot. I think a couselor is actually a good idea, you have nothing to lose by talking to one

Thanks Maverick!

I think one thing is that you have lost sight of your responsibility to yourself and have become fearful of the future and how to make a go of it.

An education is the only thing that life's vagaries can't take away from you, and getting a good education is the basis of a happy life going forward. It's what makes you intelligent, and it provides a way for you to get money!! Focus on education as your main responsibility to yourself.

You sound depressed to me. The best way to lift a depression is to *do stuff* according to several recent studies.

Since you are in a transition mode from childteenhood to adulthood, you have to try a bunch of stuff and make new friends. You have to force yourself to *do* stuff and a college campus is a perfect place to try out all kinds of things.

Plan a sport, an altruistic endeavor, an outdoor hobby; you'll make new kids of friends... drastically cut your TV and computer time. YOu will start feeling better quickly when you take action. :)

Very best wishes, :)

Thank you Choux. You know, I think you are right: I have lost my responsibility to myself. I have always valued education and always will. I prefer school to work. Besides, I go to the gym, I volunteer every week and enjoy it a lot. My friends use to say that if everyone would engage in as many altruistic endeavours as I do, the world would certainly be a better place. I rarely watch TV. I do spend too much time on the computer though.
I only wish there would be someone to encourage me and help me re-focus. My overprotective parents used to, but they stopped after I have asked them to give me a break and leave me alone

I went through the same thing. It was eventually diagnosed with depression, after I was already asked to never come back to the school because of my grades. It's very common. I never missed a single day of school from K-12 grades. Went to college and everything went downhill.
I eventually made new friends, tried different activities, started to exercise, and even changing my diet away from the regular college food helped. Now, I have a permanent academic record of failing out of one of the nation's top engineering schools, but it's better to treat depression earlier than later.

I went through the same thing. It was eventually diagnosed with depression, after I was already asked to never come back to the school because of my grades. It's very common. I never missed a single day of school from K-12 grades. Went to college and everything went downhill.
I eventually made new friends, tried different activities, started to exercise, and even changing my diet away from the regular college food helped. Now, I have a permanent academic record of failing out of one of the nation's top engineering schools, but it's better to treat depression earlier than later.