[Stacey]

Hollie and Dez have given great advice. Brain fog and forgetfulness are super common when experiencing depression, anxiety or other mental health concerns. Lots of people are noticing it more given the pandemic as well, since we're all dealing with more feelings of loss, lack of control, isolation, etc.

To-do lists, block scheduling, and setting reminders on your phone are all extremely helpful suggestions for making sure you stay on top of important things like chores and studying.

Like Dez mentioned setting aside time dedicated to just studying and doing your best to remove any other distractions can help and rewarding yourself in small ways can boost your motivation. Things like "if I study for an hour I can watch one episode of my favourite show or the show Im bingeing right now" etc. Additionally, if your studying is reading heavy, taking notes as you read can be helpful for retaining information and giving you a summary that you can look back at if you find that you have forgotten some things.

Unfortunately, if our friends and family haven't ever experienced something similar to what we're experiencing with our mental health it can be difficult for them to understand. It's often hard for us to express exactly how we're feeling and why it's showing up in ways that, to them, make you appear lazy. While it's hard to ignore what the people we love are thinking about us, trying to accept that they may not have experience with these types of feelings can help their opinions impact our self-esteem and what we know about ourselves a little less.

As Hollie said, bringing this up with a teacher or guidance counselor can help. They may be able to help either with extensions on important projects or suggestions for helping you manage these symptoms. And really, sometimes it helps when we're not met with understanding at home, to have someone that understands and validates our feelings.