Telling people that you have anxiety and depression can sometimes be a scary thing. I have told people my story and how it affects me and how I deal with it. I have had deal with anxiety and depression since I was a in sixth grade. I was bullied when I was a kid and I got homeschooled because of it. I do not think begin homeschooled was a great option for me because that’s what really caused me to have those issues. I think being locked up in my house for days besides going to dance class twice a week and to the bowling league once a week helped much. I think just being by myself mostly staring at a computer screen for three years straight was my down fall. No I am not saying that homeschooling or cyber schooling is bad for some people but for me it was not the best decision. I went through a lot when I was dealing with my depression and anxiety, I went through self-harm, shutting people out and not really caring about anything especially school. I did so badly in middle school because I would go on websites like Clubpenguin, Wizard 101, Facebook and YouTube. Looking back on how I was in middle school I cringe at the fact that I was so stupid and careless. I did not think of anything about not doing my school work and the consequences that would happen. When I would get my report cards I would get rid of them and when my mom had conferences with my teachers, that would be worse because they would report on my progress and then my mom would say to be “ Aileen, why aren’t you doing your work”, “what are you doing”.

I would make my parents so mad and upset with me and I never really did anything about it. Mom and Dad, I know this was many years ago but I am sorry for my middle school years and what I did. Yes, I did pass but just barely. I regret what I did in middle school so much now. I am not making an excuse that being depressed and dealing with anxiety most days was why I didn’t do anything but it definitely a part of the reason. Now that I am older I learned how to deal with depression and anxiety. I know how to get my mind of things that will trigger them but there are sometimes, out of the blue where I can do nothing about it. There are days when I am depressed for some reason and there are days where I have anxiety. Writing this was hard because it’s not something I tell the whole world about but I felt like it was time to let someone hear my story and hopefully it helps them. Can I say that it’s an easy road, no, but if you have the right support systems and confide in people who you trust, that will be the greatest help to overcoming depression and anxiety. Take everything day by day, its not an overnight thing, be patient and find things and do things that make you happy because that’s what I did and that is what helped me the most.