You’re not Alone by Trisha

People don’t talk about mental health that much nowadays. But I feel like it’s something important to be talked about because it can help people feel less alone.

Over the years I have always struggled with anxiety. It got worse when it came to studying in middle school, and it only worsened in high school. I would stress out thinking I’d fail every time I took a test. Sometimes it’d reach the point where I’d get a mini panic attack. It’s been a struggle for almost two years now.

One website states that, “60% of students report feeling stressed every day,” and “From the moment students enter high school, stress becomes a major part of their lives, often escalating as they move through their academic journey.”

If school stresses you out, you’re not alone.

Mental health struggles come in a variety of ways, and people cope with them differently. The two most common types of mental health are anxiety and depression. Anxiety can be experienced and explained in different ways based on people’s perspectives.

But I explain it this way: anxiety is when people get scared or anxious really easily and become overwhelmed. Depression is sadness but a long-term sadness that can fill your mind with darkness or dark thoughts.

Outside of school, anxiety can be caused by pressure from friends. 

I know it doesn’t sound like your friends, even your closest ones, can peer pressure you about stuff. But unfortunately, it does happen to friendships and people are victims of that. Sometimes your friend can get involved in stuff to try and fit in better and be more popular, but not the best healthy stuff. And the friend will try and pressure you to join in, so you have to break off the friendship in order to keep yourself safe.

Three ways to cope with stress are writing, drawing, and listening to music.

One way to cope with stress is by writing. Whenever I feel stressed or anxious, I would write or journal about my feelings to comfort myself. It helps reduce my stress a lot.

The Harvard Graduate School Website stated that, “The data also suggest that underneath loneliness may be a troubling brew of feelings, including anxiety, depression and a lack of meaning and purpose.”

The second way to cope with stress is by drawing. It may not sound convincing, but drawing does help me whenever I get stressed out.

A website called, “How to Use Drawing as a Coping Tool for Anxiety” states that, “Research from 2018 also suggests mindful coloring activities may help relieve test anxiety, a significant source of stress for many students.”

The third and last way to cope with stress is by listening to music. Music is and always will be a big part of helping me stay calm. It helps me so much that it inspires the urge in me to write song lyrics.

An anonymous person wrote this really inspiring quote: “Music helps reduce anxiety, as well as helps the mind and body cope with stress.”

Anxiety is not something that can be healed completely. It is within our body and can attack at any second. 

We feel like everything is our fault.

We overthink too much. We talk too much. We fear too much. We worry too much—it never stops! 

And when we try to talk to people about our health problems, they say things like: You’re being dramatic.” “You’re fine. Stop acting.” “You’re too much.” “You’re faking it.” “Mental health is fake!”

But mental health isn’t fake.

It’s real.

It’s serious.

And it’s something we need to sit down and have a conversation about.