[honhonhonbaguette]

I just recently started high school. I started out getting decent grades, and my only B was in math. Over the next two terms, my grades fell. I just got my report card today, and my only A was in French. I come from an Indian family, and there's a lot of pressure on me to get good grades. I feel hopeless all the time, and I can't motivate myself to do work. My parents don't believe that there's anything wrong with me, so I can't really get help. Because of my report card, I feel like a failure. I can't envision how to get past this. My parents are very disappointed in me. I also felt the urge to self harm today. I don't know what to do and I feel lost and confused.

[Skeezyks]

Hello honhonhonbaguette: I'm sorry you are having such a difficult time. Is there a school guidance counselor you could talk with... or perhaps a teacher whom you trust? Keeping this all bottled up inside is not going to solve anything. You need to find someone in real life with whom you can talk this through & try to figure out what to do. It does make it just all that much harder that your parents won't acknowledge your difficulty & help you find a solution. So, hopefully, you can find someone in your life with whom you can share your struggles. But, in the meantime, please keep posting here on PC. It can help too. And the more you post, & reply to other members' posts, the more connected to the community you will become.

[eversad]

I agree with skeezyks as well. I feel your pain too. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get good grades too (more than my parents) and I have to remind myself that I am not my grades, even though our society and culture puts a lot of emphasis on them. Talk to your teachers too, the nice ones, and even your vice principal or principal to see how they can accommodate you for tests and stuff.

Hang in there!

[Fizzyo]

I am guessing there is a guidance counselor at your school. They would be an ideal person to start talking to. If you are concerned this might be Depression or something else, talk too to your family doctor - which I'm pretty sure you can do without telling your parents. If you don't have one or are concerned about doing so your school counselor might be able to make you an appointment with someone.