Articles, Mental Health

How to Feel Less Alone in High School

How to Feel Less Alone in High School

Although I am almost three years removed from high school, it was one of the most sacred times of my life.

In high school, I learned about myself and the importance of spending time alone. This helped me feel like I would eventually be able to take care of myself.

However, this did not come easy.

I faced several bouts of depression. I endured an intense chapter where I was apart from my mother. Also, I drifted away from close friends that I had since I was a child. I had a lot of emotions inside — it was hard to function.

When I was fourteen, my mom had decided to leave the home that I had grew up in. She left my brother and me with my grandparents. I felt alone watching my other friends in a two-parent household, with their own houses and families.

Needless to say, I felt misplaced.

Thanks to the creative program I had at my high school, I used my words to guide me through the deep pain that I had felt.

I have stressed that developing your own personal identity is important to how you navigate life. However, I was clueless about the topic in high school. There were no adult figures to guide me.

However, I learned (slowly) that everything I needed was inside of me. I did not need to search outside of myself for it.

When my parents used to let me down, it was easy for me to feel sad or betrayed. I had to learn that they were only human beings. Little did I know, that those were the type of situations I needed to develop my own personal skill set as a human being.

 

As seen on www.affinitymagazine.us, “High school will turn you, throw you, flip you, chew you, spit you out, crush you, and then build you back up just to break you again. No matter what you are struggling with; grades, family, friends, worries of the future, drugs, money, sexuality, mental illness, looks, whatever it is, no single person is immune to the cruelty of these four years.”

I had to learn to put myself first at an early age because I did not know the meaning of standing on my own two feet. Eventually, I grasped the concept. I had to accept myself to grow into a better person.

I had to owe it to myself to find my place.

President Bill Clinton, as cited on www.humansandnature.org, says, “As we seek to instill important values in a new generation of Americans, we must redouble our efforts to improve student learning, responsibility, and sense of belonging.”

This is a true proclamation I have grown into the idea of inclusivity that was missing from the bouts of sadness that I found myself in. If there were a sense of community from staff, I think I would have saved much of my own suffering.

Thankfully, I was able to define it on my own terms which were the best part of my high school career.

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