I suffered from depression in my senior year of high school, after three or four years of medication, the situation gradually improved, and my mood has basically stabilized. However, I recently entered my junior year of college and faced with the pressure of graduate school and the need to study a lot. Seeing that my classmates around me were going all out to prepare for their exams, my depression seemed to have worsened again, and I always felt that there was too much to learn and I couldn't catch my breath.
What do I do at this point?
Hello owner, I hope my answer can give you some practical help.
First of all, because of your previous experience with depression, it is still important to emphasize its impact on your current state. Think back to what methods you used to survive the college entrance exams and succeed in going to college, other than taking medication. I'm sure you have some valuable experiences that you can reorganize to find your superior resources.
Are you now simply feeling that the depression has worsened, or have you already been to the hospital for a checkup and evaluation? If conditions permit, it is advisable to go to the hospital as soon as possible for a professional evaluation of your current state. If you do need medication, don't hesitate because depression is a disease, just like a cold or fever, and requires timely intervention. Don't be ashamed of depression, but face it, understand it and overcome it.
We also need to adjust some irrational cognitive patterns. You can slowly change your thinking habits by reading psychology books, attending relevant courses or doing psychological counseling, so that you can focus more on the positive side and learn to accept yourself, understand yourself and support yourself. Let go of some of your perfectionist obsessions, accept your imperfect self and others, and measure yourself with multiple standards instead of just focusing on your academic performance. See your overall worth and feel the reality of life and the richness of the world.
About the examination, I share some personal experience: I spent a year at that time, got into the Nanjing Normal University of publicly funded graduate school, the overall feeling is that the examination focuses on accumulation and persistence, a year is enough time to prepare.
First of all, make a list of the total content that needs to be assessed: for example, memorize the English vocabulary three times, do the questions three times, and do the simulation questions twice; read the professional book three times, and practice the questions three times; listen to the political course twice, and do the questions three times, and so on.
Assign these tasks to each day and see what you have to study each day, such as memorizing 5 pages of words in English, reading 50 pages in your major book, and listening to one lesson in politics. You will find that the daily tasks are actually not heavy, the key is to study consistently.
For the review method, you can ask your brothers and sisters from your target school to see their success. Since they can pass the exam through a similar program, I believe you can too. When you have time, read some inspirational stories about graduate school to cheer yourself up, stick to your studies, and believe that you will be able to do it.
I also insisted on exercising for half an hour a day at that time to keep in shape, which helped boost my immune system and study efficiency.
Cheer up and good luck! 🌹