struggling with mental health and school

[Jester3]

Hi, I'm in year 11 and I am really struggling at school because of my mental health. I have BPD, depression and Anxiety. I lost my motivation for school a few months ago and I have stopped doing work and I am far behind in all my subjects. I don't really feel real or see a point to anything I do and I have no clue what I'm doing in the future. I want to go back to school but I'm so overwhelmed by all the work I haven't done, that I keep staying home. I feel like I'm gonna fail school and not get to Uni, I feel like my options are limited which just makes me more depressed to think about. My goal was to become a therapist but my grades are so poor I know that wont happen, and my plan B was Art teacher but i Feel like i wont even graduate. I don't really have any friends or family that I can talk to. the only things i do all day is read books and watch my comfort shows, everything else overwhelms me. I feel so alone and like I have nothing to look forward to and I have no idea what to do, please help.

[smallwolf]

hello and welcome to the forums.

having mental health issues and completing school sounds very difficult. And I see from your post that it also makes going back to the school, to resume, is much harder when you are behind. So I really feel for you in this instance.

with that said... I know from experience there are many ways to get into Uni and into your preferred course. For example I did not get into Uni and went to TAFE and doing the course there enabled me to get in. On top of that, the course I completed also gave be credits at Uni and did not have to do some subjects. In speaking about this with my psychologist... we all have our own journey and for me to go to TAFE was OK. Fwiw, my grades in high school were average for other reasons.

Perhaps you might be able to chat with someone in school that performs a counselling type role about your options, where things are, what your dreams are etc. and hopefully be able to find one to move forward from how you are feeling at the moment.

There are more stories I could give.

In this moment it seems your dream is unreachable. If nothing else, know there are other ways to get there and beyond.

[livi_mivi]

Hey Jester3,

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with mental health and how they are impacting your schooling. It's really hard to get back into things when you're falling behind or even know where to begin.

I really wanted to reiterate SmallWolf's points. Often, there is an incredible pressure put on us in high school to graduate, get the required ATAR for your course, go to uni, graduate etc. This path is so engrained that it's often hard to see the multitude of other paths that are available to you. There are some people that get to uni and hate their course, other people that go back to uni because they want a change in career, others that graduate with a degree that they have no intention of using. IN all of this, it's okay not to follow the timeline that may suit others.

Your mental health is so important and will impact every area of your life and your abilities to function. Do you have any teachers or counsellors that you feel comfortable sharing your experiences with? They might be able to help you out with managing your workload, giving you information on ways to achieve your goals. Are you currently speaking to a mental health professional who can help you with this process?

I understand and acknowledge the complexity of mental health disorders, especially for those who have not had any personal experiences/supported those who were having troubles. It's hard to open up to others when we don't feel that they will understand. I just want to let you know that there are many people on these forums here to support you and there are many people who might be in the same boat that you are making feel less alone in their struggles.

I wish you all the best!

[Sea_Turtle]

Hi Jester3

I just wanted to reach out as what you have said really hits home for me.

Year 11 is when I left school, all of a sudden my mental health became so much worse that year. The pressure with the HSC made me feel hopeless as it felt like everything in class was going in one ear and out the other. I was rapidly falling behind. It was really really hard. I ended up leaving it was a decision I made, I don’t regret it but things didn’t exactly get better.

I think school can act like a pressure cooker. Out of school things still cook though if you get what I mean.

you don’t need good scores to do well, you don’t even need scores. There are always back doors.

Help is tricky and sometimes you get missed or people don’t see what’s the problem. But I promise people do care.

Stay safe and I hope you can find somewhere or someone to reach out to.

I know it’s hard but if things get bad helplines can help too.

Escaping into a book or show is something I have also done a lot of.

take care Sea turtle

[Sophia16]

Hi,

Welcome to the Beyond blue forums and thank you for being so open here. It sounds like you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed because of school and all the pressure of achieving your goals.

Firstly, i know there are so many people that have said this but there is soo many different pathways to achieving your dream job. Just remember, that your mental health comes first, and if your studies is really affecting it then i think speaking to a school counsellor can help you with that

Also, you're in year 11. Nothing really counts until year 12. You have heaps of time to try and work on yourself before then.

Stay safe and i am sure you are going to achieve your dreams.