Battling Mental Health struggles at the age of 13.

Growing up in a family of five, I was always surrounded by love and support from my family and friends. Back then, I didn’t even know what the word “mental health” meant because we had other things to worry about. But as I grew older, I started experiencing different emotions that I didn’t understand.

In primary school, things were pretty chill, but things got a bit intense when I started secondary school. At 13, I was struggling with schoolwork, dealing with friends and family issues, and I couldn’t seem to meet my parents’ expectations. Teachers were always on me for the mistakes I made, and even close friendships would end over small things. I was so overwhelmed with my own emotions that I started cutting myself to get attention from my family, friends, and teachers.

The attention I received lasted for a while, but it eventually faded away. Looking back, I realise that each situation in my life was building up, and I was struggling to cope. I didn’t have many friends, and even if I had sent them a text, most of them would say, “Just sleep it and it will be gone.” As a 13-year-old, I didn’t know how to process my emotions effectively. At some point while I was alone outside, I was doubting if life is worth living. 

Fast forward to when I enter into secondary 2, I decided to reach out to my form teacher for help. I didn’t just seek help from school; I also seek helped from Bethesda Care Service (BCS), a youth group (Youth Space) where I had been since primary 5. After sharing my struggles, the people at BCS were incredibly understanding. They invited me to events and mental health talk where I learned how to cope with my emotions.

From that point on, I started developing healthier ways to deal with my emotions. As I continued through my school, emotions were still a part of my life, but I learned how to manage them better and not let them get out of control.

I want to say that it’s never easy to deal with mental health struggles while dealing with other stresses. But I believe that with time and support, you can learn different ways to cope with things other than harming yourself. 

I do hope that as you read through this, you (yourself) did not felt exactly how I felt but better. Wishing you the best.