At 18 years old, I am about to face the college entrance exam. What should I do when I have negative emotions over and over again?

Hello. From your description, I can sense that you may be struggling with some challenges. You seem to be a sensible and hardworking student, and I admire your dedication. However, it seems that you may not fully recognize the importance of self-love, which can lead to feelings of powerlessness and increased anxiety and depression. I'm here to support you in navigating these challenges and restoring a sense of balance in your life. As a hospital psychologist, I'm equipped with professional knowledge and skills to assist you.

First, it is important to recognize and acknowledge the changes taking place in your body and emotions. If you feel the need for professional assistance, it is always available to you. Our willpower allows us to choose to suppress and put aside, but subconsciously, it takes care of everything. Your burdened forward progress may manifest as tears, affect your sleep and appetite, and this is the body's way of reminding you that you need to be taken care of. It may, therefore, be helpful to speak with your parents and seek a professional diagnosis, assessment, and treatment plan, which could include medication or psychotherapy, based on the results.

Many of our outpatients have experienced this. It's important to remember that you can't carry it all on your shoulders. The sooner you intervene, the better. I have had the privilege of accompanying many visitors to take the high school entrance exam and college entrance exam. The pressure of reality can sometimes make us feel helpless. The problems you didn't deal with in junior high school, but suppressed or avoided, are still there, deep inside you. Suppressing them for a while without dealing with them will lead to an explosion, just like a volcano that will not only hurt you, but also bring more devastating consequences. It might be helpful to consider dealing with it earlier and releasing the pressure, as this could make it easier.

Secondly, it is important to accept your emotions, both positive and negative, as your own. Learning to express your inner feelings and using words to express them can be beneficial. You may wish to consider speaking to your parents, teachers, classmates, or even a psychotherapist if you feel you need help.

Third, you may find that self-adjustment can be achieved through your hobbies, such as listening to music, exercising, or recording your mood, to experience your own changes and see what methods you used to save yourself when you were in pain before. You are capable of helping yourself!

Finally, I would like to acknowledge your strength. You are intelligent, self-disciplined, and capable of utilizing the resources around you to support yourself. You have a clear understanding of your limitations. There are times when strength is not the only requirement. I extend my sincerest gratitude for your perseverance. It has undoubtedly been a challenging journey. I am honored to offer my professional expertise to assist you in any way I can.

Give the questioner a hug! I can feel the anxiety and fear deep in the questioner's heart. I don't know what to do. This has affected the questioner's normal study. This is also the third year of high school, so it's understandable that worrying about the future will make one anxious.

The questioner said these negative emotions started early in his life. It's been hard to persevere, but he's still resilient and has a strong capacity to bear himself.

I also want to praise the poster for realizing that these problems have caused trouble in his normal study life. He is actively looking for the source of the problem and trying to solve it. The willingness to actively seek change is the strongest driving force for self-perseverance. In our daily lives, we cannot accomplish everything alone. We must rely on the strength of those around us.

This approach helps you get things done and connect with others. It's a win-win. For others, being needed is happy. It shows you're capable, valuable, and accepted. You feel good and happy to help.

Emotions come from inside. They are part of who you are. Both positive and negative emotions have meaning.

Negative emotions protect us from reality and give us relief.

Our emotions protect us and show that we have a lot of self-power. But this power is in our subconscious, which we don't know about. So we feel negative emotions. But if we accept these emotions, we can feel positive emotions instead.

To achieve this, the questioner's conscious self must think about what they feel and why.

The Buddha said, "Ignorance leads to suffering."

Once you understand, you won't feel bad.

The questioner should accept their emotions and ask their parents for help. This will relieve the pressure and help the questioner understand their emotions better.

Moderate depression is not that bad. Talk to your parents and find a good counselor. You can get out of it.

Hello, dear child! I'm sending you a big, warm hug from afar. You have worked hard and suffered a lot, but you're doing great! You are a junior high school student, and you're handling a lot of pressure—psychological, physical, and academic. You've been studying tenaciously until you entered your third year of high school. Regardless of your academic performance, you are already a wonderful and outstanding young person!

Everyone will experience negative emotions when faced with great pressure. It's the body's way of protecting itself! But what caused those negative emotions from the second year of junior high to stick around? Have you, my child, taken a moment to reflect on past events that made you unhappy or left you feeling aggrieved? Or perhaps you felt your needs weren't met?

Absolutely! You can definitely find out the probable cause yourself. After all, symptoms don't appear for no reason. Knowing the cause of the symptoms can lead to a targeted solution, which is really exciting!

You say that you have symptoms such as [inability to move], [the surrounding environment feels unreal], [can't stop touching things], [anorexia], [tachycardia], [shaky hands], and your emotions have become extremely sensitive [tears], and you suspect that this is what you understand to be [depression]. But in fact, this may just be the manifestation of too many negative emotions accumulating in your body, which has reached a critical point under tremendous pressure. Your body is sending you a message to vent and adjust! It may also just be caused by the secretion of hormones during puberty.

You said that you learned about depression by chance, and then you felt that it was very similar to yourself. At this time, you didn't quite believe the diagnosis of the online doctor (I give you a thumbs-up! You really are a super rational, thoughtful, and insightful child!), but you still chose to carry it yourself, fight alone, and try to adjust it yourself (hugs). But it's hard for you. But in fact, my child, depression and depression are completely different things. Depression is just like happiness and sadness. It's just an emotion that everyone has, and depression is not something that just anyone can get.

This kind of emotion reappeared in high school. But this time, you changed the way to solve it! You chose to ask for help, chose to trust your parents, took a leave of absence to rest, and chose to go to school again. You've made great strides! My child, have you noticed? A good and close relationship with your parents can heal your negative emotions and give you strength again.

My child, the college entrance exam is like a thousand soldiers crossing a single plank bridge. Many people will fall into the water, many will choose to retreat, and many will persevere to reach the other side. But in any case, it is their own choice. The road of life is long. Persevering through three years of high school is for a better future, not to push yourself into a dead end. When you are overwhelmed, cry as much as you want, cry in your mother's arms, it's okay. Just don't grit your teeth and persevere on your own, because that will not only fail to solve the problem you are facing, it will also have a more negative impact. Open up to your parents, tell them your worries and stress, let them share the burden with you and face it together.

If you're still feeling concerned about the symptoms you experienced before, don't hesitate to seek medical advice. Your doctor will be able to provide a professional assessment and treatment plan. Grades are just one way to test your learning at a certain stage. Learning is a habit that will accompany us for the rest of our lives, so don't push yourself too hard. Life is long, and there's still time for everything!

Above: Every painful struggle is a good growth spurt! I wish you success in your studies and fulfillment of all your dreams!

Hello, question owner!

I'm Sunny Dolphin Floater, a psychological counselor, and I'm here to help!

?‍♂️From your account, I can feel the immense pain inside you. Fortunately, you have a good sense of perception and can sense your unusual emotions. It's so great that you've come here to ask for help! You're already taking the first step towards recovery.

?‍♂️It's been less than two months since the start of the third year of high school, and high school life is really stressful. According to your account, this is already the third time your brother has had a fit, and it's also the most serious one. And you yourself have experience resisting depression. I believe that as long as it helps you a little, you can get out of your own depression. Are you confident?

Let's dive in!

?‍♂️From your previous two experiences, you should have noticed that when depressive moods set in, you feel particularly lazy and don't want to do anything. But don't worry! There are plenty of ways to beat this feeling. Get yourself moving, take a nice hot bath at the highest temperature you can bear, and after the bath, get a good night's sleep.

You will recover a lot! This is my personal experience, and I really hope it will be useful to you.

?‍♂️ For now, don't worry about studying. You've got this! It's not helpful to push yourself to study when you're feeling this way. In fact, the more you study, the worse it will get. But you can still learn! Just keep yourself in a mentally alert state and you'll be back to your learning efficiency in no time.

From what you've told me, it seems like you might have an anxiety disorder. It's so important to get a doctor's diagnosis, so I really recommend you go to the neurology department of the hospital and see a doctor. With depression, you can't let go of the past. With anxiety, you're confused about the future and have no plan. Either way, you'll get a diagnosis and get on the road to feeling better!

Let's dive in and get to the bottom of this together!

?‍♂️I've been there, so I totally get it. You've got this! First, focus on making yourself happy. Then, get that plan together and put your health first. You've got this!

?‍♂️You are now in high school, which is an amazing time in your life! I don't know if you have heard a lot of comments like "the college entrance examination determines a lifetime." While the college entrance examination score is certainly important, it is not the most important thing. Your ability to live and work is much more important! You can achieve this through many ways. The score is just a stepping stone for you to enter society. Even if you enter society with a high enough starting point, it is meaningless if you don't have the ability to work. Do you understand?

?‍♂️Make a study plan that is within your capabilities. Set a goal that is a little higher than your abilities, then break the overall goal down into N small goals to be refined to each week, so that you know what to do. And if you keep telling yourself that it's not difficult, you won't have such a strong resistance to studying. I believe you can make such a plan yourself, and I'm here to help if you need it!

?‍♂️Set your overall goal according to your interests, set a maximum goal and a minimum goal, allow some room for fluctuation in your plan, leave some rest time for yourself when you are tired, and accept your own imperfections, which can make you feel more relaxed. I'm sure you can find your healthy self again soon!

Come on! You can do this!

If you need professional counseling, the Yixinli platform has a large number of counselor resources for you to choose from. I can't wait to see you make a beautiful turnaround!

Come on! You can do it!

I love you all so much! Welcome to the wonderful world of Yiyixinli!

Hello, I'm sorry to hear you're going through a rough patch. I admire your commitment to self-care. I noticed one sentence in your description that stood out: "You were afraid to tell your parents that you might be moderately depressed." Why was that? What happened that made it difficult for you to communicate with your parents?

Can you tell me what happened during those first two weeks or so, and then the next three or four months, when your symptoms first appeared?

As humans, we have the capacity to master all things. We have physical needs, like eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom. We also have spiritual needs, like unconditional positive attention, understanding, recognition, acceptance, respect, approval, and praise. When our spiritual needs are met, we develop a stable sense of self and the ability to self-regulate. This allows us to adapt well to our environment in any situation.

If our spiritual needs aren't met, some people will choose anger and keep looking for satisfaction, while others, who are timid, sensitive, and feel bad about themselves, will become depressed. I think you fall into the latter category.

Many artists have these qualities, so it's not surprising that being timid, highly sensitive, and having low self-esteem are all originally your gifts. However, if you lack boundary concepts and self-protection awareness, you may find that when encountering trauma or continuous stress, you direct your anger towards yourself and begin to self-destruct.

If you can afford it, it's a good idea to get help from your parents. They'll always be there for you, supporting you and protecting you. There are also many free youth psychological hotlines, and nowadays schools will also set up psychological counseling departments. These resources can all provide you with help. Don't push yourself too hard. Experiencing pain and trauma are all part of the process of healing. Highly sensitive children usually have the ability to learn quickly. You can also teach yourself some psychology knowledge to help yourself and others. Maybe your life will be different because of this.

No matter what's causing the anger, it needs to be released somehow. Choose a safe way that won't hurt anyone or anything. I suggest the book Unleash Your Inner Child: The Art of Emotional Healing. There are lots of ways to release emotions, heal trauma, and tap into your talents. You can try collage. The process of tearing paper is a very safe way to release anger, and then recreate it through imagination.

How much sun makes you feel powerful, and moderate aerobic exercise makes you more energetic. In short, don't be too hard on yourself, don't push yourself too hard, and always remember that the world and I love you.

Hi, I'm therapist Zhang Huili. Thanks for coming to chat with me. Let's go on a journey of self-discovery and healing together.

Hello, questioner.

I have taken the time to read your question several times, and I have tried to imagine what it would be like to be in your situation. I believe I can empathize with the challenges you're facing and the feelings of helplessness that come with them. I'm here to support you in any way I can.

I have noticed that this situation tends to occur in relation to exams. For example, when it first appeared in the second year of junior high school, it was because you were about to face the junior high school entrance exam. After that, when you got to high school, you also faced exams, and there were signs of it again. Now, when you get to your senior year, you have to think about the college entrance exam again. So, you feel that you have those same familiar feelings again recently. It is a challenging aspect of the academic journey, especially for students who are aiming to excel.

Perhaps it would be helpful to consider that you are not alone in this. It's not always about how well you study. Think about it this way: if you get first place in the exam, it might be challenging for him to keep up!

It's understandable that there might be some pressure. Given that there is pressure, it's only natural that various situations will arise. When situations arise, negative emotions will arise. So what you said at the beginning, that you feel negative emotions all the time, is very normal. Not only for every student, but also for each of us, negative emotions should be there all the time. Isn't there this saying? Life is full of disappointments. You might want disappointments to be the case, but aren't they all negative emotions?

It is important to remember that everyone experiences negative emotions from time to time. The key is to learn how to manage them effectively. In light of your current situation, how can you best cope with these emotions? I would like to share some insights based on my personal experience.

First of all, the college entrance examination is just around the corner. We are in the third year of high school, and it's natural to feel some pressure. This is a stage that many people have experienced, and it's important to remember that every state and every emotion that occurs at this stage is normal. It's something we all go through. It's helpful to try to accept it with an open mind.

If you're feeling overwhelmed and need a moment to process, it's okay to take a break. You can go somewhere private to cry if you need to. If you have a supportive relationship with your parents, you can also talk to them about your feelings. If you're not ready to study, that's okay too. It's important to remember that forcing yourself to study won't necessarily lead to positive outcomes. It's natural to feel this way sometimes, and it's perfectly fine to take a step back and regroup.

Secondly, I believe that with self-belief, you can achieve this, just as you did in junior high school, and go to university with your own abilities.

I must say, reading about your junior high school days and the challenges you faced, I am amazed at how you managed to navigate them so successfully. You were just entering puberty, yet you found ways to excel in the high school entrance exam and secure a spot in high school. I admire your resilience and self-discipline, especially at such a young age. You have my utmost respect.

Given your experience of navigating negative emotions in junior high school and your keen awareness, you recognize that when faced with an exam, if you feel symptoms of negative emotions, you promptly take measures to tell your parents, take a leave of absence to commute to school, and then calmly get through the period. Now, you have just entered your senior year of high school, and you feel that you have changed again, so you promptly come here to seek scientific help. It's important to remember that you were under less pressure in junior high school when you took the middle school entrance exam compared to the college entrance exam. Also, your abilities at that time were probably a bit less than they are now. This means that the methods you think of will be more scientific and more practical than before.

Given your potential, I believe you can get through your senior year with confidence.

I would also suggest that you try to remain calm during the learning process. I noticed from your feedback that you are trying to be as calm as possible, which is very commendable. For example, you said that you will leave some homework until the next day and no longer stay up late. This is a very good attitude towards learning. If the amount of homework is relatively too much for you, I think we can apply for homework. What if you can't finish it?

I believe that if the school can manage in a humane way, the teacher will agree.

It is worth noting that there is no direct correlation between academic performance and the completion of homework. While it is often said that tackling one question can lead to the resolution of an entire class, it is not always necessary to mention that all questions must be answered. I would also like to share my personal experience of my child, who was in his senior year of high school, struggling to keep up with his workload. He was unable to complete his homework due to time constraints, and sought guidance from his teacher. The teacher was understanding and allowed him to work at his own pace.

I believe you can find a way to solve the problem of homework based on your own situation. Rather than simply doing the homework to get it done, it would be beneficial to ensure you get enough sleep. Only when you sleep well will you feel relatively better.

Ultimately, your post-college plans will shape your future. As the saying goes, I have fought against everything, and I have succeeded or failed at everything, but not necessarily in me.

Going to university is not the end of the world. As long as our interests remain undiminished, we have the opportunity to fully develop in the field we like in university. As long as there is a university that matches our abilities and allows us to attend, our interest in learning remains, and our attitude remains very firm, then the future must be good. So I think we also need to be consistent with the current curriculum reform, focusing on the process and looking at the results, so that our hard work and perseverance in our senior year will become an important resource for our future lives.

I'd also be happy to share my experience. When my child was in his senior year of high school, he exhibited some of the same symptoms you've described. I took him to a regular hospital to have an electrocardiogram and some tests done. The doctor's assessment at the time was that your condition was normal and that it was typical for your heart rate to increase at your age. The doctor did check and everything seemed to be fine, so I'd also suggest you consider going to a regular hospital for a check-up. Once a doctor has confirmed the diagnosis, if there is a problem, then we should follow the doctor's advice and take medicine. If there is no problem, then we should just relax.

Senior year can be a challenging time. I want to offer you a few words of encouragement and care. Sometimes I wish I could say, "Take a break, don't study anymore," but I know that's not always possible. As young people, we often feel a sense of responsibility to work hard.

If I might make a suggestion to all the students, it would be to persevere. There is a good chance that next year, you will find a university that you like and that will be welcoming.

I would like to take a moment to remind you that the world and I love you.

Dear child,

My name is Yi Ming, and I work as a heart exploration coach.

I have taken the time to carefully read your question and the responses you have received. I can appreciate the distress you are feeling.

I'm delighted to be able to share what I know with you, and I hope it will be of some small comfort and inspiration to you.

1. It might be helpful to try to understand the characteristics of puberty and relax.

You are 18 years old and will soon face the college entrance exam. It seems that you also experienced negative emotions when you were in the second year of junior high school.

I would like to suggest that you consider the possibility that you have been in adolescence for several years, and that the large fluctuations in hormones in your body may be a contributing factor to your current experiences of unstable emotions and a lack of control.

It is important to remember that different children will show different behaviors.

It is possible that some may be more intense.

In the past, it "lasted for three or four months," and you found a way to adjust on your own. I admire your resilience!

It may be helpful to try to view our emotional fluctuations in a more calm and relaxed way, as this could make it easier to get through this period.

In recent times, there has been a shift in approach in clinical settings when it comes to diagnosing adolescents with depression. Instead of being diagnosed with depression, adolescents are now more likely to be considered to be in a depressed or anxious state.

Given the challenges that adolescent children face, including the need to regulate their emotions and cope with significant academic pressures, it is understandable that they may exhibit certain behaviors.

It is important to remember that this is a special stage in life, a bit like a cicada emerging from its shell. We are still developing our resilience, so it is natural to feel vulnerable at this time.

It might be helpful to give yourself more self-compassion and to believe that after this period of time, everything will be fine.

2. It may be helpful to try positive self-suggestion.

Perhaps it's not so much the things themselves that bother us, but rather our perception of them.

When we feel that negative emotions are bad, such as when we can't concentrate or are not productive, and "we have to burst into tears every few days," it can lead us to doubt ourselves, worry about our homework, and become anxious.

If we accept that this is a normal reaction to stress, we can relax and face it more positively.

Perhaps it would be helpful to remember that it's not the person, but the problem itself that we should focus on.

It might be said that negative emotions sometimes cling to us and sometimes disappear.

Perhaps we could try to find a way not to let the negative emotions get the better of us.

It might be helpful to consider what these negative emotions are trying to tell us if they could talk.

For instance, could they perhaps be indicating that you are feeling somewhat stressed?

Perhaps you are being a little too demanding on yourself?

It might be helpful to view inefficient learning as a form of self-protection that encourages us to slow down and rest more.

It may be helpful to allow ourselves to have periods of rest and recuperation, even if they are only temporary. This could be seen as a way of recharging our batteries, and it may be that we simply need to replenish our energy levels.

Perhaps it would be more beneficial to approach my studies with a more balanced approach, rather than constantly pushing myself to study hard.

In today's world, children often face a lot of pressure from various sources, including society, school, and parents. When they are unable to cope with this pressure, challenging situations may arise.

It might be helpful to consider how your experience of the college entrance exam and the importance of grades might change if they were not factors in your life. Do you think that would help to reduce the pressure you currently feel?

It is thought that suggestions can stimulate the power of one's great inner potential, which is believed to be far greater than one's conscious mind.

It might be helpful to try giving yourself positive mental suggestions whenever you feel negative emotions.

For instance, you might say, "Everything is normal with me."

If I may, I would like to suggest that perhaps I just need to relax, slow down a bit, and be a bit more relaxed with myself. I believe that everything will be fine.

It is thought that positive self-talk has a positive effect on us.

3. It may be helpful to consider using a variety of methods to actively adjust.

3. It may be helpful to consider using a variety of methods to actively adjust.

I believe you were young and could find ways to adjust yourself, and I also believe you have now accumulated your own experiences.

If I may enquire, when do you feel better?

Do you exercise frequently? When negative emotions arise, you might find it beneficial to exercise.

You might also consider talking to family members or close friends to help you work through these negative emotions.

You might also find it helpful to ask questions here.

Could writing out your worries be an effective way to feel better?

You might also find it helpful to distract yourself from your stress by going for a walk, listening to music, or chatting with a classmate for a while.

You might also consider learning meditation and deep breathing exercises.

It may be helpful to know that it can effectively help us relax and reduce anxiety.

If you feel that the situation is becoming more serious and you are struggling to cope, you may wish to consider asking your parents to take you to see a doctor.

If you feel so inclined, please feel free to share this.

I'm optimistic that you will successfully navigate this period and gain admission to the university of your choice.

I wish you the best of luck!