Whether students want to admit it or not, being a teenager in high school is really rough. It’s one thing to be drained from the math homework one has been procrastinating on or to finish that five (hundred) page ELA essay by 11:59 PM, but a lot of students experience several kinds of mental health struggles that have absolutely nothing to do with school itself. Many of them even ignore school to try (and often fail) to fix the other problems on their minds.

Maybe there’s a diagnosis one has that makes everything just… difficult. Depression? Anxiety? ADHD? These kinds of disorders make it harder to focus on school, and they drastically affect life to where nothing feels right anymore. On top of the already tumultuous events they are going through, they have to worry about the conditions themselves.

Or maybe the reason isn’t any condition of the sort; maybe something is really pressing at them- like it’s the absolute end of the world. Maybe they’re missing the comfort of simpler things, like hanging out with friends or being in their home, safe and sound, away from all of the stress. Many students miss someone close to them- whether it’s a relationship that ended or a loved one that’s passed away, and that’s gonna hurt for a long time. It’s hard not to think about good memories now that they’re over, and it’s definitely hard having all of it pile up. And yet, what they’re going through might just be something not written up here. But some things are just in the way. It. Just. Sucks.

However (as cliche as this is), things can get better. Whether or not they actually do can’t be said, but there are definitely ways to get oneself back on track. Mental health resources, including our counselors and the on-site school psychiatrist, are here to help, and if those don’t seem right, talk to someone you trust. Friends, colleagues, parents, teachers, therapists; if you want or need help, there are options. You just might need to open your mind a little. I’m not saying it’ll be okay because, honestly, I have no idea, even with regard to my own mental health sometimes, but I hope it gets better. All we can do is look back on today’s struggles and count on tomorrow to bring a (hopefully) brighter day.