Scared to be judged

[MacaroniNoodles]

Hi there,

I think I should start by saying that I have a few mental health problems which already make certain aspects of my life hard.

Lately I have been really stressed out at school and extremely down about other parts of my life and it is making my axiety worse than ever, im In a mental rut that Im scrambling to try and get out of. I have started having thoughts that are really bad for me to have and I have started considering things that I never thought I would slip down far enough to consider. It doesnt help that I am losing all my friends due to them not understanding my mental struggles and giving up on me. I Only really have 2 or 3 friends left that truely care enough to check up on me from time to time.

I feel like I really need to speak to my school's wellbeing coordinator but I have heard the stories about these people in general and it makes me really reluctant to see her... (silly, i know). The people who are still my friends also have something against her so I'm scared that I will be judged for stepping up and getting the help abd support I need. Any advice?

[smallwolf]

Hi MacaroniNoodles and welcome to beyond blue.

Sorry to hear that you are struggling with anxiety at school. I have a few suggestions that you can take how you want...

• the first thing you might want to the consider is that if you do not feel comfortable talking with the wellbeing coordinator then perhaps one of the teachers you feel comfortable with... you might be able to speak with them.
• the next thing is having a look at kids helpline (https://kidshelpline.com.au/) which goes up to age 25 who you can call on 1800 55 1800 and talk about the issues you are facing.
• another possibility is to look at headspace (https://www.headspace.com/) and the various exercises you can do there to help you deal with anxiety. then there is also smiling mind (https://www.smilingmind.com.au/).
• my final comment is in relation to the wellbeing coordinator. While I know nothing other than what is in your post, if their role is similar to that of a counsellor, they would or should be non-jdugemental, show empathy towards you, listen to you and try to help.

Perhaps the big thing that you have done is writing here which takes courage - it shows that you have recognised a problem and are being proactive in wanting to deal with it. And you also have friends that are checking in on your periodically. Coming here you will find a new group of people who will support you. Anyway, I hope that you come back and tell me more of your story.

Tim