Battling mental illness and trying to focus on exams

Read Time:1 Minute, 29 Second

By Anonymous

People are always so quick to say they’re always there for you when you’re battling mental illness. Yet there’s only so much they’ll listen to, before they make you feel like you’re a burden.

Don’t ever let anyone make you feel like a burden for talking about your mental health. Don’t let anyone make you feel weak for talking about your mental health. In fact, having the courage to talk about how you feel is one of the bravest things you can do. Your mental illness does not define you.

There’s Always A Point

Only people who have experienced it have any idea how battling mental illness feels. For me, being in leaving cert year whilst battling with my own demons are indescribably hard circumstances.

I wake up some days with high expectations for my day, feeling motivated to study, and within an hour I could be curled up in a corner crying and asking myself, ‘what is the point?’ There’s always a point, although when you’re feeling like that, it’s hard to see it.

I Can Get Through This

That’s why I write down in a diary how I feel at the time every few hours, may it be positive or negative.

When I’m feeling down, the last thing I want to do is read over it, and that’s okay. But when I’m feeling okay again, I read over the negative thoughts that I experienced, and it makes me realise that I got through, and I got through it the time before that and the time before that again, etc. I know I can get through it again, and that gives me a sense of strength and enthusiasm towards life.