I've just lost all motivation in my work and studies. I try to get myself back on track, but I don't know where to begin.
Hi, I've been recently experiencing a major loss in motivation in school. All I want to do now is lock myself in my room, put my headphones in and blast music or just watch movies all day. I don't try in school anymore and it's clearly showing in my dropping grades, and I try to get myself back on track, but I really just don't know where to begin.
I have expectations within my family that I'm, well, expected to reach, but sometimes I feel so helpless because I just don't fit the description of the perfect child that my parents want me to be. I know they mean well, but like I said before, I don't want to be what they want me to be.
Maybe it's all this pressure, but I just lock myself away from the world with my music, and I've just lost all motivation in my work and studies. I don't know where to begin, but I've established the fact that I really need to do something about this. What is a good way/place for me to begin?
Hi and thanks for writing in. It really sounds like you are struggling with feelings of pressure, stress and helplessness when it comes to school and your family.
When people lose motivation they feel like withdrawing and hiding away from the world. By asking for some help you have taken the first step in working through these feelings. That's great. 
A good place to start is to find a professional you can talk to. You want to get back on track and it's really hard to that do on your own so having someone around can boost your energy levels. Is there a counsellor at your school? If there is, they can talk with you about what is going on. Or is there a teacher you trust that you could talk with? They will probably have some ideas you could try, and they would be well aware of the pressure of being in high school.
You said that your family want you to be the "perfect child". At this time in your life it's really important to be you. Of course they have expectations (all parents do), but they also need to know that you are doing the best you can right now. If there is lots of pressure placed on you this can lead resentment and not wanting to do anything. If you can talk with someone about this issue, that would be a great start.
Friends can also be a great support during these times and if you can find some time to spend with them, just hanging out and enjoying their company, that will help in distracting yourself from school/family issues. I've also put some links below for you to have a look at. Hopefully they have some ideas you could try.
Take care and good luck.
