Aiden's Story

It’s always better to tell someone

I had constant anxiety attacks over small things that made day by day life hard. I got help and therapy for about a year and I learned to control it and be less nervous.

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It’s always better to tell someone.

• Grade: January 2020
• Age: Threads
• Date: 3/05/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Anxiety Disorder

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Julia's Story

Find something that keeps you going.

Quarantine has affected my mental health to an extreme. It put me in a dark hole of depression. It has put a hold on seeing my friends, and my friends are one of the only things that get me through the day. I wouldn’t be allowed to see friends, and sometimes I would go a week without showering because I couldn’t get myself out of bed. It got so bad to the point my friend had me send her pictures of myself brushing my teeth, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t brush my teeth. I’m beginning to cope with it by facetiming and seeing my friends every other week. Even though it is limited, it is an incentive to take care of myself. It’s helpful for me to talk to my friend about what I feel, and what I like and what I don’t. I know I can talk to her because she relates to how I feel.

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I know sometimes it feels like you’re stuck in a hole with no way of getting out, and it is okay to feel that way. Find something that keeps you going. Even if it’s taking a photo of you brushing your teeth. It will take a while to overcome the barriers set in front of you, but there are people set in your life to help you.

• Grade: 11th
• Age: 16
• Date: 3/06/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Anxiety Disorder + Mood Disorder, Depression

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Sofia's Story

Having a mental illness isn’t weird and it doesn’t make them not normal.

I've been coping with mental illness for as long as I can remember. ever since i was a baby i’ve had separation anxiety with my mother. then as i got older about 8 my dad left us and i developed depression and then diagnosed with mdd(major depressive disorder) so i definitely have had some things in my life. I’ve overcome some of my anxiety and depression because I am taking medication for it. It's still hard whenever I see my dad because I still have a fear that he might leave again. with my separation anxiety i’ve gotten better with it but still in some moments it’s really hard.

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I want people to know that having a mental illness isn’t weird and it doesn’t make them not normal. it’s something people can get help with if they’re willing.

• Grade: 10th
• Age: 15
• Date: 3/07/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Anxiety Disorder

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Eli's Story

It’s okay to feel down, mad, happy or any other emotions, as long as you channel them into something good

The pandemic has been hard for me and everyone else I know. The absence of socialization and energizing activities makes a toll on me. I have felt a number of emotions; loneliness, sadness, rage, happiness, gratefulness and much more. It’s been up and down for me. I overcame it through COVID safe activities like FaceTime calls, mask meet ups and crew. Sports, like crew, are essential for mental health. It has help me boost my confidence, fitness level, health, energy level, mental health and much more.

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It’s okay to feel down, mad, happy or any other emotions, as long as you channel them into something good and like art, sports and even taking a vacation to process your thoughts. Those have been the best ways for me to cope with my emotions. Another way that has helped is showing gratitude. I know it sounds cheesy and silly, but it actually works really well and it surprised me.

• Grade: 10th
• Age: 16
• Date: 3/05/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: None

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MD: Anonymous 1's Story

Keep going. I got through it. I’m here. You are here too.

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Some of the most significant moments through my mental health battle were my frequent hospital stays. Specifically the time I had an NG tube and was force fed. I overcame being far away from my family and life with creativity. I would sit in my hospital bed and imagine all sorts of different scenarios of what I could be doing with my day. I would color. I would read. I would journal. I would spend hours in my thoughts because I had nothing else to do. In my hospitalizations with other people, I would make friends and do things I did alone with them. Other people can help you get through this.

• Grade: 11th
• Age: 17
• Date: 3/06/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Borderline (BPD), Bipolar, Anxiety, and, Anorexia

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MD: Anonymous 2's Story

Your friends are there for you. Don’t forget it.

7th and 8th grade were rough because I cut myself off from friends and skipped school all the time. Going to therapy is a lifesaver! Individual therapy helps me with getting into the deeper traumas and triggering events while peer groups help me by having people that relate to me and we can hold each other accountable.

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Your friends are there for you. Don’t forget it.

• Grade: 10th
• Age: 16
• Date: 3/13/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Anxiety Disorder + Mood Disorder

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MD: Anonymous 3's Story

please keep in mind that every day of your life does not have to be productive and perfect.

During 7th and 8th grade, I was not in a good place. I was missing way too much school due to abdominal migraine syndrome, constantly wrapped up with toxic friends, and battling some pretty awful teachers. I was stressed, sad, and I felt really lonely. At a few extremely low points, I was having suicidal thoughts. A lot of what I was feeling wasn't hatred and fear of the world, but hatred and fear of myself. The first thing I did was leave the toxic friends. That was hard for me, as I had been friends with them for forever, but there came a point when I gave up trying to be friends with them again, and gave up trying to "fix" myself to please them. I sat with a new group of people during lunch, and I met my best friend to this day. I also tried to focus on taking better care of myself, something I had pretty much neglected during that time. This meant eating more, sleeping more, finding activities that made me happy, and taking a few short breaks a day. The stress didn't go away, and probably never will, but I found ways to cope with it and give myself space to breathe.

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I know my advice sounds trite, but give it a shot. If it doesn't help your stress, that's fine! Everybody is a different person who benefits from different things. And please keep in mind that every day of your life does not have to be productive and perfect. Don't be ashamed of yourself for days when you procrastinate and spend most of your time watching comfort movies. On social media, we often see people broadcasting their perfect routines and their perfect lives. First off, I'd be ASTOUNDED if their life was actually like that. Second, don't compare yourself to them! I would see their posts and instantly feel like I should stop trying, because there was nothing I could do to make my life look that flawless and productive. At the end of the day, it's not how your life looks, it's how it feels. Don't start thinking you aren't doing enough because your life doesn't come with a VSCO filter. :)

• Grade: 10th
• Age: 16
• Date: 3/06/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Anxiety Disorder

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MD: Anonymous 4's Story

Your perception determines the nature of everything.

I just moved to a new country 6 months before the lockdown started. During the pandemic, I sometimes felt lonely and disconnected from neither world I’ve lived in. I kept myself busy so as not to think about the current situation and changed my mindset.

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Your perception determines the nature of everything.

• Date: 3/06/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: None

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MD: Anonymous 5's Story

Take a close look at your friends. Ask yourself if you’re being kind and supportive, if you aren’t sure if you are, change the way you project.

When I was dealing with an extensive relapse this summer and spring from my ED, I had a lot of panic attacks, especially in public or at work. I felt so consumed in my ED that the panic attacks were nothing to me and I could accept them. It was terrifying, because I was so exhausted and sore and I had lost quite a bit of weight so every time I’d start panicking I'd feel the symptoms of my ED elevating. I am recovered from it now as I started finding ways to distract myself from the urges to act on my ED, but while I couldn’t it was really rough. For the panic attacks I got from my ED, I used a lot of grounding to help myself cope. I’ve had my fair share of extremely disabling panic attacks and being able to do forms of physical and mental grounding has been really helpful. I once was walking from work to a park and started panicking in public, I felt like I couldn’t breathe and everything started feeling very heavy and my surroundings were bright. I had to keep going until I could find water, so I called a friend and she did grounding with me over the phone. Five things I could see, four things I could hear, three things I could touch, two things I could smell and one thing I could taste. This one thing helped me so much and I repeated it until she could come and help me calm down. It helped me bring myself back to earth if that makes sense, I felt like I wasn’t alive in that moment so I needed to bring myself down.

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Take a close look at your friends. Ask yourself if you’re being kind and supportive, if you aren’t sure if you are, change the way you project. The smallest things can hurt someone, so if you and your friend both have similar mental illnesses, before you share, ask them if they are OK with hearing certain things that may or may not be triggering to them, some people disregarded TW’s, but use your better judgement when it comes to approaching them. Be sure to be kind any instant you can, be attentive. Just be supportive and do what you can provide them. Don’t beat yourself up if you feel like you’re not helping or “curing” them. Also, get them in touch with a psychologist or a therapist instead of a counselor. I’m going to be honest, my experiences with mental health and counselors have only made things worse, so if you’re really concerned, help them find a therapist they like or see if your own parents would be willing to be a support. It’s much more helpful and valuable that way.

• Age: 16
• Date: 3/06/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Recovered bulimia, depression, anxiety, PTSD

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MD: Anonymous 6's Story

You shouldn’t feel ashamed about reaching out or talking about mental health.

I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and an anxiety disorder a little over a year ago and I never told any of my friends because I didn’t want to make them feel as though it was their problem or make them uncomfortable. I’m in a much better mental state and when I finally opened up about it to some of my friends they were very shocked and had no idea because during that time the only thing I was concerned about was making sure no one suspected or knew anything. [To help me cope], I went to therapy and joined sports and found new hobbies.

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You shouldn’t feel ashamed about reaching out or talking about mental health. Mental health is different for everyone and you never really know what someone is going through no matter how close you think you are with them.

• Grade: 10th
• Age: 15
• Date: 3/05/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: Anxiety Disorder

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Lisa's Story

“And this too shall pass!”

I was anxious during my college application process and waiting for decisions. To help me during this time, I put my energy in other things to distract myself like reading or watching shows, and going outside

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“And this too shall pass!” you just have to bear through whatever it is you’re going through, and you are not alone in doing so. You can’t just ‘wish’ for something to go away but with time, your situation will get better and you’ll become more wise and stronger

• Grade: 12th
• Date: 3/05/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: None

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Sandy's Story

It is important to make yourself stronger and higher so you don’t care about the nonsense around you.

Last October, I moved upstairs in my house to separate with my parents because they were still working amidst the pandemic. I lost my room, my heater, and my mind. I was in this freezing cold place, that has my books, laptop, and clothes scattered everywhere. Already stressed from school and the enormous amount of extracurriculars I pulled myself into, moving upstairs not only wasted the time for me to work, it was also a time of family struggle. Battles amongst who will be moving up, why are we separating, the things to bring upstairs, we’re finally resolved in chaos. Within weeks, my course grades plummeted, my physical health tired from the late nights, and my mental health drained upon. There were just times I would find myself crying at 3 a.m. in the dark night and times I find myself sitting right next to the window looking down... To help me overcome this moment in my life, I consistently listened to music tracks, ignored the people who were making me upset, dropped out of useless clubs, and just talked with friends to help my own mental health.

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To the peers reading my story: It is important to make yourself stronger and higher so you don’t care about the nonsense around you. Ignore the people who make you upset, and show them that you are better than what they see of you. Let them know you are not someone to be easily picked on.

• Grade: 10th
• Age: 15
• Date: 3/07/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: None

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TX: Anonymous 1's Story

Please please please reach out to others when you’re feeling like the world is against you.

My situation at home is not so good, in which my parents are pretty toxic in ways I stay in my room and starve myself because I don’t want to walk out and get yelled at for random reasons. I was in a pretty rough place with the constant verbal abuse and I’m glad I had friends I could talk to during these times so they could ensure I was okay after one of those episodes with my parents. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if the people who I speak to didn’t comfort me during the entire period of quarantine and I know that other people have it worse. Damaged mental health is really dangerous and can lead to bad circumstances following it, and should not be viewed lightly. Mine is still ongoing; however, my mental health is slowly getting better. I’m not exactly “coping” with it per say, it’s more of an avoidance of the issue. I avoid my parents as much as possible in order not to cause them to flip out at any small thing I do. When they do manage to find me, I tune out their degrading yelling and pray they don’t turn to physical abuse. Every time my dad first sees me, he either calls me fat or that he hopes I never make it to college and he won’t pay for my college. Every time my mom sees me, she yells about how I don’t keep up my appearance and why aren’t I skinny as she used to be. I used to be really emotional in the beginning of quarantine (when the verbal abuse became more prevalent due to staying home 24/7) but now it’s pretty numbing and quite funny to hear them say the same thing over and over. I always talk to my best friend after the episode to make sure I’m okay and just to give them an overall overview of what happened. I’m going to college soon with an almost full ride :) so I’m happy to say I’m gonna have even better mental health after I leave home!

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Please please please reach out to others when you’re feeling like the world is against you. There ARE people who love you, even if it seems like your family, some friends, or others don’t. You are not fighting through this alone. Don’t be afraid to reach out!

• Grade: 12th
• Age: 18
• Date: 3/06/21
• Mental Health Diagnoses: None

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