Episode 5: Finding Balance

I know I kinda did a post like this on my Instagram but that was a while ago and I have more words of wisdom. In high school I missed school pretty much all the time for a solid 2 months. I was in and out of doctors appointments and therapy sessions simply trying to get better. It was extremely difficult for me to miss school because I hated being behind, not knowing what was going on in class, and the attention that came along with being absent so often. When it comes down to deciding between school and your mental health you HAVE to choose your mental health. I know that’s a loaded statement because you are told by ever person ever that school comes first and grades will make or break the rest of your life, but its all over exaggerated. So today I’m going to talk about getting help in school and balancing academics with everything else. When I first felt that I needed to seek out help I didn’t know what to do, so inevitably I went to a teacher that I felt comfortable telling. I then ended up in the counselors office which was pretty much exactly where I needed to be. I was too ashamed to tell my parents so my counselor did it for me, not ideal but it was necessary under the circumstances. If you feel that you need help, tell someone. Tell someone that has the ability to do something about it like a teacher or better yet a counselor. And to anyone who has friends who may be struggling, its okay for you to talk to the school counselor and tell them that your friend is unstable, its completely anonymous and the counselor will do their best to talk with that person and help them. Now lets move on to balancing your academics, mental health, and everyday life. I can say that if you are dealing with mental illness and doing nothing about it, it can be extremely difficult for you to function outside of daily tasks. With that the first step would be to get help and start your road to recovery. When I was at my worst my teachers were aware of my problems and did their best to accommodate me. Sometimes I would have random crying fits in class and my teachers would let me leave to collect myself, that’s just where I was at in life and they supported me through it. My social life was non existent for a long time because I couldn’t hang out with people without having a mental breakdown, so I had to accept that. Once I felt myself getting better I began to hang out with people and find new friends, which was also a necessity to my recovery which we will talk about later. Getting organized was a huge step forward for me in finding a new normal: get a planner, clean your room, create a schedule that allows you get stuff done while also leaving time for yourself. A major factor in your day to day mental health is sleep, I cannot stress the importance of sleep enough. I understand that you have homework but do it when you get home… don’t wait until 10pm to open your backpack, you’re not doing yourself any good. Helping yourself means making mature decisions about how to divide and spend your time, don’t put all of your energy into one club or class or person. Make yourself a first priority then plan your life around your wants and needs. Your life gets better when you do, work on yourself and the rest will follow.