I'm a psychology student, but for some reason I've been depressed all month and I can't muster any motivation. What should I do?

Good day, question asker!

From what you've shared in your question, it seems that there might be some hesitation about graduating.

Perhaps the reason is that your heart does not want to deceive yourself and accept the sentence, "Obviously, as a counseling intern, I have helped others."

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that psychology is not as useful as you had hoped, and that the effects are more akin to self-praise than anything else.

Perhaps it would be beneficial to congratulate yourself on entering the stage of learning critical thinking, where you start to question.

If we do not question and reject what we learn, how can we know when and where that knowledge is useful and when and where it is a rigid application?

Perhaps we could gain a new perspective by breaking free from the constraints and expanding our horizons.

"I am eagerly anticipating employment after graduation and pursuing a master's degree in psychology." (It would be beneficial to examine whether this conclusion is supported by the facts.)

"Negative voices also keep appearing" (the fact has already happened. Perhaps it would be helpful to trace those voices and give them evidence-based affirmation and negation in order to better understand myself).

"I'm open to retaking the exam if that would help, but I'd really appreciate it if I could get through this challenging period first. It's quite painful."

"This period has been challenging for me. I'm trying to encourage myself to believe that I can do it today."

I've tried exercise, meditation, journaling, and talking to someone, but I still have negative emotions. I'm wondering if these methods are truly effective.

I wonder why these methods, which I had thought would be miraculous, have not worked for me. When you start thinking critically and abandon superstitions, you can truly conclude that these methods are neither miraculous nor are the conditions for their usefulness special.

Perhaps it would be helpful to consider another question: Do you regret studying psychology?

Despite the many imperfections of psychology, I would say that the answer to this question is overwhelmingly: no regrets!

I wish you all the best, psychology students!

Hello. I am Wanshi Ruyi, and I have participated in the training of psychological counselors of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. I can see that you are troubled by many things, and you have a lot of negative emotions. You feel that you are very bad, that you have a strong sense of self-doubt, and that you even have thoughts of ending your life. You are very distressed, and I can understand how you feel.

I don't know if you are doing an internship in a hospital or an institution. If you are in a hospital, you can ask a psychiatrist to help you diagnose the severity of your mental health. As the saying goes, "a doctor does not heal himself." Even doctors and system-trained psychologists, counselors, and therapists themselves may have some psychological and physical problems, as well as unresolved issues from an early age, which require professional treatment and help.

You need to seek medical treatment as soon as possible and receive timely treatment. Your negative emotions have already affected your academic development, that is, your social functioning. Your situation is a relatively serious psychological problem, and you must pay attention to it.

You're procrastinating. Have you encountered any new pressures recently? Your procrastination stems from your low self-efficacy. You tend to underestimate your abilities and overestimate the difficulty of things. You think you have poor stress resistance, that you're terrible, and that you're not suited to studying psychology. You question and negate your abilities.

Look at your development over the past few years. You made it through all five years of your psychology major, plus the internship, and you're just one final report away from graduation. You've proven you can do this. You just need to find your way out of the fog. How can you do that?

You studied psychology and have done an internship, so you have plenty of relevant resources at your disposal. Talk to your teachers and ask them how you can get out of this fog. You can also talk to the school's psychology teacher, who can give you some advice.

Don't beat yourself up about it. You majored in psychology, but don't feel embarrassed or ashamed about your psychological problems. First of all, we are all individuals, and then we have our own identities and roles. Studying psychology doesn't guarantee that you'll use it or that you'll be able to help others and yourself. We all know that it takes years of work and practice to accumulate experience in order to apply the knowledge and theories learned to practice.

You should spend more time with your family and close friends. If you ever feel like taking your own life again, seek help from your family and friends immediately. You were able to come here and ask questions, which shows that you definitely have the strength to want to change. You have a strong motivation to get out of your predicament, and I know you can do it.

When you're ready, think about where these terrible thoughts come from and who first commented on you in this way, making you agree with this assessment. You grew up in your original family, so you know how negative that environment can be. You're studying psychology because you want to get out of the fog. You need help and support from the outside because you don't have enough strength on your own. You will get rid of your troubles soon.

♬ Everything is the best arrangement. I'm so glad I met you. I'm a psychological counselor. I also had a period of time when I was particularly depressed. I didn't want to see people, talk, or do anything. I just wanted to lie in bed alone, brushing my phone while despising myself. I knew exactly what was wrong with me and what I should do, but I hesitated to do it.

I get it. You have a solid plan for the future, but you're not happy with the present. Most importantly, we have some emotions to work through and some physical symptoms to resolve...

I've been in your shoes, so I want to tell you:

From our professional standpoint, we suggest you do a health check on your own situation and see if you can resolve your current state with your own strength. If not, find someone who can help you as soon as possible—your teacher, your family, your classmates, or a professional doctor.

There's something you can do right now. I'm happy you've found a way to ask questions. This shows you're working to solve your problems and looking for ways to do so, which is great. But I want to say, whatever you find, just try it.

One day, I got some news that I found hard to accept. I was pretty upset, but I didn't cry. I felt a little chest tightness and a little helpless. At that moment, I remembered what my friend had said: when he had an anxiety attack, he had a violent outburst for three hours, and then the symptoms gradually eased. So I grabbed my backpack and walked all the way from work to home. When I arrived home, my body and emotions had recovered a lot. I was grateful for this experience, which taught me that walking can be an effective way to regulate my emotions.

Knowledge #ability, knowing #effective. So, my colleague, as someone who helps others, I want to say to you: we all need help sometimes. Find a way to help yourself, and you can also seek help from others. Just as a doctor can use their expertise when they are sick themselves to find someone or a way that can help them.

You can see the rainbow after the rain, and I hope you can gain something from this experience.

I'm grateful for this experience, which has reminded me of the value of my past experiences.

Hello, question asker!

From the symptoms you describe, I am convinced that you are in the U-shaped bottom of a moderate to severe depressive episode.

You need to get a diagnosis and take medication. The psychiatric diagnostic and treatment criteria say you should take medication in this situation.

This stage is the most difficult, but it is also the stage where your energy will rise again and your emotions, energy, and mood will bottom out and rebound. The pain you are experiencing is an important experience for your personal physical and mental leap.

It is not surprising that patients in this stage develop suicidal thoughts. This is because, at present, individual energy resonates with the strong instinctive energy of human beings to die collectively. The inexplicable suicidal thoughts you feel do not truly belong to you; they belong to all of humanity. This energy continues to flow over, through, and past you. The true meaning is not to end yourself, but to make you more deeply appreciate the deep-seated desire of human beings to "return home" and remind you to explore the path within.

You may feel that your inner vitality is gradually becoming barren, that your body and mind are out of control, and that you are particularly prone to suicidal thoughts at any time. You may be frightened and suffering. But you must calm down. As a psychologist, you have an opportunity to learn and practice more than other students. You will gain a deeper understanding of the subtle psychology and endless suffering of patients because of this experience.

Sleep is the best power bank. It's normal to not want to talk or read. You're saving your energy for the whole.

You will improve. You will be able to read more and more. You will start with a few lines a day, then a page, then a few lines, then a few pages, and then half a book.

You will be able to write the essay you couldn't before, and you will be able to sit calmly for a few minutes, for half an hour, and for longer. You will be able to write a sentence, two sentences, a paragraph, and an essay. You will find that your state of mind will slowly improve from now on.

Don't make things more difficult for yourself. If you don't have the energy to go to a party, don't go. Cut back on your plans and goals and focus your time and energy on the most important things. Don't get involved in things that aren't important to you, and don't help others if it's too much effort.

Don't be afraid of your social withdrawal and the need to rest. Don't fight nature and try to hold on. If you don't have enough energy, it's wise to stay away from others for the time being.

Ask your class advisor for help and talk about your difficulties. Your advisor isn't going to keep you in school just because you failed an essay. Ask a close friend to help you finish your homework and get through this difficult time with your essay.

If your parents are mentally unstable, explain your situation and demand emotional support. If they don't understand and are more anxious and cause trouble than you are, find your own mentors, classmates, friends, or strangers to talk to.

You can always find your own support system if you want to live well. Your own life is the most powerful support system you'll ever have.

If there is such a thing as awakening, then I should actually congratulate you. You are undoubtedly one of the few who have the profound spiritual wisdom and aptitude to awaken first. You will undoubtedly study psychology and experience this soul-tormenting, soul-cleansing experience.

You will overcome this ordeal. I wish you success and the best in your journey.

Hello!

Host:

I am Zeng Chen, a heart exploration coach. I have carefully read the post, and I can feel the pain and internal conflict you are experiencing.

At the same time, I also noticed that the poster has bravely expressed his distress and actively sought help on the platform, which will undoubtedly help the poster to better understand and recognize himself, so as to adjust himself. This is fantastic!

And now for something really exciting! I'm going to share my observations and thoughts in the post, which I really hope will help you, the original poster, to view yourself from a more diverse perspective.

1. The incredible story of Wu Zhihong

After reading your story, I was instantly reminded of the incredible story of the famous psychologist. In his book, "The Body Knows the Answer," he revealed that he had once suffered from depression.

It was a tough road, but he eventually got out of it on his own!

I remember he said depression is like falling into a well, and you can get out of it!

So, after falling in, the first reaction of many people is to climb up. But here's the thing: the more you try to climb out, the less likely you are to be able to.

Instead of fighting against this heavy pain, he embraced it, immersed himself in his sadness, felt it, looked at it, and understood it. He didn't fight against the pain, and two years later, his depression dissolved! He found another way out from the bottom of the well.

You mentioned that you are a psychology major, and you feel that you, who is supposed to be a psychology major, still has depression and is very confused. In fact, human emotions are constantly changing, and that's a good thing! Sometimes we may really need help from others when we are caught up in our emotions, so that we can get out of depression.

2. Now for the best part! Let's explore the amazing benefits that procrastination has brought you!

The poster mentioned that after the internship, as long as you submit a report, you can graduate. I'm excited to submit it, but it has been overdue for a month. I'm looking forward to getting it done!

I was amazed to realize I had been procrastinating for so long on something I could have finished in one day! It's fascinating to consider that our behavior is the external manifestation of psychological activity. This raises an intriguing question: What are the reasons behind our procrastination?

People tend not to do things that aren't useful to them. So, let's talk about the amazing benefits procrastination brings to us! This will help you understand and recognize yourself better.

I read an amazing story about a person who believes in being efficient at work. Despite this, he procrastinates a lot at work and piles up a lot of work, simply because he doesn't want to do it!

Later, he went for counseling, and the counselor gave him some great advice. He said that he was actually very tired, but his brain thought that work needed to be done efficiently. At that time, there was an internal conflict, and his behavior chose the body because it was really tired, and procrastination allowed him to rest.

I'm excited to tell you this story because I think it will help you think about whether your procrastination has also given you benefits you may not be aware of!

3. Record your life! When listening to Xiao Quexing

The host of this forum might try to record the little certainties in life because these little certainties can bring us a little sense of accomplishment and accumulate strength! In "Embrace the Awesome You," there is a story like this. A woman became depressed, and then she quit her job and stayed home for many days. But one day she felt that she couldn't go on like this [probably an instinct in her], and that's when she decided to take control of her life!

So she planned to go running tomorrow, but the next day, after getting changed and opening the door to go for a few steps, she backed away because she felt like she had used up all her energy. But she didn't make things difficult for herself! She decided to let herself off the hook and do something she could manage, and that something was going to be running!

She sent a message to a friend, tidied her desk, and did the laundry that day!

In the evening, she wrote down these notes. She was so excited to record her day's achievements: "Today I sent a message to a good friend, washed the laundry, tidied the desk, and found interesting old notes."

After she made such a record, she felt a fantastic sense of accomplishment! So they maintained this habit together, and then slowly came out of it.

Once she got out of it, she kept up the habit!

I really hope these tips have been helpful and inspiring for you!

Hello, question asker!

It's challenging to give advice on your depression in just a few words, but I'm excited to chat with you and explore more possibilities when you're feeling down.

Graduation is a bittersweet time of separation.

Every action we take is imbued with meaning. The internship report you've been putting off for a month is so much more than just a document that can be written in a day. It's a milestone that will mark your graduation!

Perhaps for you, completing this report means leaving school, and procrastination is a defense mechanism that delays the exciting day of leaving. You say in the text, "I clearly look forward to employment after graduation and continuing to study for a master's degree in psychology," which is great! However, it seems that you are not yet fully prepared, and both directions, employment and further study, make you feel a little anxious.

[The person who solves the problem must also tie the bell]

From your writing, I hear some self-doubting voices: "poor stress tolerance," "terrible," "not suitable"... It seems like there are two of you: one is positive, going to an internship and helping others, while the other is negative and withdrawn, lacking confidence. I'm excited to help you identify where those negative voices come from!

I'm excited to hear more about the "re-examination" you mentioned. Is it related to the triggering event of a negative label? Either way, if we don't want something, there is no way for someone to force it on us.

The same goes for negative labels! If it's not what you want, just rip it off!

[There's no magic button for instant recovery, but there are plenty of ways to get back on track!]

[There is no magic button for instant recovery]

You've tried a series of methods to help yourself relieve your pain, and I admire your dedication! Whether it's exercise, meditation, keeping a diary, or finding someone to talk to, you've taken the initiative to regulate your emotions. While these methods can't eliminate your pain immediately, they're great ways to manage your emotions and keep you feeling positive. Keep up the amazing work!

But there's another way of looking at it! The fact that pain can't be eliminated quickly might actually have some positive effects. It might keep us awake, force us to face problems head-on, and remind us of important things we'd otherwise forget.

I really hope that the questioner will sit down and finish the internship report, graduate successfully, and head for a bright future!

Hello, host!

I'm Yi Xi, and I've got some great suggestions for you! 1. Do you feel stressed because you have so much to do and know that you have a lot to do but still lack motivation to get it done? Don't worry, we can fix this! We just need to break these tasks into stages and complete them one by one. And remember, there's no need to rush. Take your time and do a great job on each step.

There are so many ways to improve motivation! Here are just a few: 1. Divide the overall goal into phased goals. This makes it easier to achieve your overall goal by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps. 2. Make a plan, but don't plan too much at once. This allows you to focus on one or two things at a time, giving you the chance to really excel at them.

If you can't calm your mind to do something, don't do anything! Take a moment to calm your mind first. You can close your eyes to put yourself in the most comfortable state, then take a deep breath and exhale. Or, lie on a chair and play some instrumental music to let yourself immerse in the music!

2. Think about happy things, be positive, watch comedies, variety shows, don't think about the negative, don't think about the bad things as particularly bad, be good at turning the negative into the positive, you can think like this, what else can I do, I might as well do something else.

3. Talk to friends to relieve stress, or do something you like. You can also come to Yi Xinli to see what suggestions people have—you'll be amazed at what you find out!

4. Go for it! Do the things you are good at and give yourself the encouragement you deserve. For example, say to yourself, "I can do this! That's great! Keep up the good work. Who says I'm bad?"

Believe in yourself! You are the one who really controls and manipulates yourself. If you don't even believe in yourself, what makes you think anyone else will? You can do this!

I'm so excited to share my advice with you! Please refer to it in light of your own situation. I really hope my advice is helpful!