Dear YouthLine,
hi my name is kayla my friend showed me this site cause she waz worried bout me. she said if i emailed u guys u would be able 2 help. i have been mildly depressed since i was in the 5th grade lately it has gotten a lot worse cause of school i dont know what to do please help ive tried every thing please help me i dont know what to do any more… ,-_-, please if ur still reading this please write me back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please…
Dear Kayla,
We are so glad you reached out to us and asked for help. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your problems with depression. Depression is definitely a serious problem that you can’t solve alone, and it is great that you have a supportive friend that helped you contact us.
It’s especially hard to have depression worsened by school – you have to be there 5 days a week, so there is probably no good opportunity for an escape. Perhaps if there is a specific issue with school that is bothering you, you could try talking to a school counselor to find a solution.
As for non-school related depression, there are lots of things you can do. For one thing, if you need immediate support, you can call us at 1-877-968-8491. We can give you resources for counseling or other things in your area if you need that, or just give you someone to talk to. Our teen call workers are available 4-9 PM on weekdays, but we have other workers 24-7, so we’ll never miss a call from you.
If you aren’t comfortable talking on the phone, there are a few other things you can do when you feel depressed. If you find it hard to cope when you’re depressed, for example, you might want to read this article one of our volunteers wrote on coping strategies: http://www.theyouthline.org/829/coping-strategies/ It’s just some basic things, but even if you don’t like the suggestions, it’s a good way to start thinking about what would work for you personally. Basically, you can just do something that relaxes you and makes you feel happy. Whatever works for you and is healthy is good.
Most of all, just remember to take care of yourself mentally and emotionally – eat well, sleep well, give yourself breaks when you need them. And again, call us if you need someone to talk to.
-YouthLine