Hi @Tommo
I'm sorry to hear that you've been feeling so frustrated with school and your parents' expectations. You're not alone in feeling this way, I can totally relate to what you're going through - I'm a single child living in an Asian household with very strict parents and I've always felt so pressured to do well academically. It is so stressful and overwhemling.
I think its really good that you've identified a change in your mood, its a good first step towards taking better care of yourself. Are you doing anything for self care during this time? I find self care so important when I'm feeling on edge and stressed out. For me, I like going for walks and focusing on the sounds and smells of nature, or putting a calming podcast on when I notice I'm in a heightened state. It's so important to be kind to yourself in this time and remind yourself that your worth is not defined by your academic achievements!!
I also wanted to share some stretegies I used to manage my frustration with home stress:
- it might be helpful to have a chat about how their expectations are affecting your wellbeing when you're both calm. In my experience, my parents were a bit more understanding when I framed the conversation around my wellbeing and stress rather than school and grades.
- I talked to a school counsellor and teacher about my parental expectations. They were able to help me with stress management and also set up a meeting with my parents to discuss how their expectations were impacting me. I'm wondering if you have anyone that you can reach out to to talk about these things?
- Some of the anger management techniques I learned from my school counsellor were deep breathing, taking a break from the situation to cool down, mindfulness meditation (there are lots of good apps and podcasts for this!), and counting to 10 before responding.
I'm here for you if you'd like to chat more. I hope this helps a bit!! Take care ❤️
