You are NOT alone.
Share your experiences by adding your own story.
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"This year, after the first day of school, I went home and cried. Why? Because a) we actually started doing math in math class, b) I didn't know how to do it, and c) everyone else in my class made it seem like it should be obvious. However, I worked my ass off trying to learn the material and I kinda grasped the concepts (just not as well as my peers did). This was fine and all, but occasionally, I would start to feel this anomie that I couldn't shake. Last year, I completed the goal that I had been working toward since sixth grade and after that I felt the hopelessness that I had lost my whole purpose in life. I decided that my next major life goal would be to get into my dream college. This is obviously a great goal to have (most high schoolers probably do have this goal) but all around me, my friends were excelling in classes that I was simply passing. I felt mediocre when my one aspiration was to get into one of the most competitive schools in the country. As a person who has never really had to study to do well enough in school, this pretty much terrified me. But like I said before, I started really working hard at my grades because I finally had to. At the IGP conference this semester, I found out that my class rank was a lot higher than it had been for my previous years in high school. This was really exciting news for me! However, now I'm realizing that my obsession with remaining at the top of the class has turned me into someone I don't like as much as the person I was freshman year. Back then, I was pretty nonchalant about my GPA and rank because I could do well in class without worrying about it and I hadn't yet accomplished my one life goal. Now, I am in the top of the class and my new life goal is to get into a school with a 7% acceptance rate. This is making me live and breathe only school work with little time for the things I love to do. I also feel that my family has conditions of worth for me, that I have to get good grades and stay in good standing to keep their love. As of now, I've done well in all of the classes I was worried about but I'm worried that I've lost a piece of myself to the void that is the top of the class at GTCHS."
-Billie Holiday |
"I've never considered myself beautiful. Never. There's always something wrong with me. My nose is too big, my skin is too pale, my body is too thin. How will people like me if I am this ugly? I got good at makeup because I only feel comfortable when I'm wearing it, I look like a man when I don't. I got a boyfriend a few months ago and it's been the best thing for me, because he tells me I'm the most beautiful girl every single day and that he loves me and my body, but why can't I believe him? I want to believe him, but how can I be the most beautiful girl when I don't look like her, she's hot and I am, well, not. My #1 hope for the future is to finally see myself as beautiful and believe what my boyfriend has been telling me. I will send updates."
-Insecure One |
"Two years ago, at the beginning of my sophomore year, I was invited to join Students in Action. I was failing three classes at the time, but I was convinced to join and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I honestly think I am a better person from joining this club, I care more about doing service and helping people than before. I used to be deathly afraid of public speaking, now Mrs. Shew, our mentor, will pull me out of lunch and say, "I need help doing this assembly." Totally unprepared, I will deliver a speech in front of a hundred people, no hesitation. I have made so many friends and had so many new experiences these past two years and I will never regret joining this club, it has changed my life so immensely and I'm so thankful for the opportunity."
-Lindsey Wiseman |
"For many years now I have been bullied by many people, and I did nothing about it, hoping that would make it better, but later I found out that it made it a lot worse. Lately, the bullying situation has made me feel weak and useless and that made me feel as if I was doing something wrong to make them be so mean to me. I have always felt that if I told someone, it would ruin my whole life; people would see me as a tattletale, and I would lose my friends. My bullying experience ranged from being pushed and hurt physically, to making fun of me on social media. You are not alone."
-Maura |
"In the fall of 2016 of my junior year I found out that my father had passed away. I would definitely say my relationship with my father wasn't the best and a very complex one, but when I found out about his passing it hit me like a ton of bricks. It couldn't have happened at a worse time. Junior year is definitely the most stressful and hardest year of school. I felt as if I was drowning, and no one could save me. I appeared normal to everyone, but in reality I was a flame that was soon going to burn out. Eventually my grades started slipping , and I grew distant from everyone. I soon became a completely different person. Eventually I couldn't handle it any more. The secrets, holding in my emotions, not acknowledging the fact that I wasn't OKAY. My emotions exploded and I told one of my close friends everything that I had felt over the past few months . A sense of peace came over me , and although I was not okay...I was now on the path of being okay. If anyone can learn anything from my story it is that it is okay to not be okay. The most important thing is to get help and talk about it. The worse thing to do is to keep everything bottled up inside you"
-E |
"My senior year in high school I had a pretty intense relationship with a guy I thought I was in love with. He was so cool and handsome. He told me all of the time how much he loved me. Only problem, he was quick to anger. He didn't like me talking to anyone but him, and tried to come between me and my friends. I broke up with him, and in a small high school it caused a lot of drama. He made a point to slut shame me and degrade me with loud words that everyone could hear in the school cafeteria. One night I was driving home after a basketball game and a car kept tailgating me in a aggressive,dangerous manner. I recognized the Dodge Charger that "he" owned. He tried to run me off the road and I ended up pulling off into someone's driveway. He sped away. I was so shaken. When I got home I told my parents what had happened. They called his parents and threatened calling the police.His parents warned him off. At school I continued to get random insults from him, but they lessened over time as he had taken up with a freshman girl.They were steady even after we graduated. She ended up pregnant for her sophomore year and he worked putting tires on at a garage. I went off to college. FTW."
-Anonymous |
"In sixth grade, my health teacher gave us pledge worksheets. The idea was to fill in the 'pledges' on when/if we will ever participate in sex, drugs, and alcohol. Afterward, the teacher reviewed the pledges with each student. I remember I wrote, 'I pledge not to have sex until I'm an adult and trust and love the other person,' which seemed very sensible to me. My teacher didn't like this, though, and convinced me to change it to, 'I promise not to have sex until I'm married.' I don't see the point of having kids write their own pledges if the teacher is just going to rewrite them. That was probably my weirdest experience with sex ed, and it's stuck with me through the years."
-Addison |
"I never thought school was difficult until this year, my junior year; the year where my accomplishments suddenly matter. All I have heard up until this point in my high school career is “save your worries for junior year, that will be a tough one,” “colleges only really look at your grades from junior year,” “I remember eleventh grade, that was the definition of stress.” On top of this, I received constant messages from my friends about their new diets or exercise routines because “this summer I’m going to look thin,” as if they already don’t; not to mention questions regarding grades on exams just so others can compare themselves to my academic averageness. Comments like these get inside your head and drive you to madness, and as much as I want to release my rage in a physical manner through the act of DESTROYING THEM, I must choose the proper and polite way: turning the other cheek and moving on. I personally hate acting this way toward people who spend their day comparing themselves to me to feel better, but through practice I have become the queen of ignoring things until they simply do not matter anymore. To do this you must realize that the opinions others have of you have no meaning. You are who you are and you do what you do for yourself. Maybe that is selfish, but working for your own benefit will help you appreciate your strengths and discover the true purpose behind your actions. Viewing your life from this perspective can help you discover what you love to do instead of just doing what is popular. For example, it’s fine to choose a job for the money it will bring for you, but it is far better to choose a job because it is something you love to do. Society should never dictate your life choices. Society is only a social construct. People reference society as if it is something tangible; something forceful that holds them back from their full potential. Truthfully, society is only figurative; it is completely derived from your understanding of other people’s standards. From this perspective, “overcoming society’s harsh standards” simply translates to overcoming what you think others would judge you for. The body standards set by “society” are forcing my closest friends into excessive dieting and near-anorexia. The stress brought upon us from school has forced at least four of my close friends into suicidal tendencies. Stress is not a joke, and neither is the power a figurative society has over us. We need to change the way society is viewed; turn it from an oppressive power to a way to bring innovation into our world. To do this you simply need to remember one phrase; “I don’t give a (insert expletive here).” I want you to remember that phrase the next time you feel incapable of something or feel the pressure of society holding you back. In this situation just take a step back and fully consider your strength, power, and individuality because, frankly, you don’t give a sh--."
-ANS |
"I was bullied for all of elementary school, and it wasn't even by the same person. Almost every year, a new person from my class would be a jerk to me just because I was being myself. Instead of ignoring them like I should have, I allowed it to affect me and I retreated into a fake persona. Throughout all of middle school and into the beginning of my freshman year, I pretended to be someone I wasn't. I was obnoxious, attention seeking, and frankly annoying-- half the time, I couldn't stand myself. My friends were the same way, until my best friend turned on me. She got involved in drugs and drinking alcohol in school as a freshman because she thought it would make her cool, and even the person I was pretending to be knew it was wrong. I confronted her and she blamed her actions on me. Even though I could've been nicer about it, there was no reason for me to bear the blame for her mistakes. I took it hard, but if it hadn't happened I never would've broken out of my shell and become my true self. I know it sounds cliché, but if you are struggling with a bully or with a friend stabbing you in the back, don't give up on yourself. You never know what good can come out of a bad situation. Just hold on, stay strong, and stay yourself."
-Elena |
"Every single year, I can't help but to fall into a hole of jealosy. I always feel the need to compare myself to other people and try to become better than them. I don't want to do this, but I can't help it. I try to talk to my close friends about how to cope with these problems but the relief is always temporary. Constantly think about what people think of me drives me insane everyday. I want to be the best like no one ever was *cue Pokemone theme*, but the problem is that I always feel like I come up short. Over time, I began to realize that I have good qualities and my own bad qualities which is what makes me unique. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses and it's their choice if they want their weaknesses to define them. If we are all different, we cannot compare ourselves to each other; that would be like comparing apples to oranges."
-N |
"Throughout my school career I have been bullied several times. After a while I stood up to my bullies and I was fine. Or so I thought. I wasn't fine for one reason and one reason only. I wasn't myself. I wanted to please everyone who I met just so they would like me. There came to a point where someone really close to me decided that I was no longer their friend. I was devastated. I didn't know what I did wrong. I asked and they told me that I wasn't myself. This was my wake up call. If I was losing friends because I was trying to please everyone then that's where I went wrong. I realized I can't please everyone and there is no reason for me to WANT to please everyone. Being myself was all I needed. I didn't need to change to get friends. And if I did then they weren't worth my time. Never EVER change just to try to please people who don't appreciate you. They're not worth your time and friendship."
-Your Average Fajita |
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Students_in_Action Instagram DM's
Write to [email protected]
Text (864)483-1767
Talk to Mrs. Shew, or any member of Students in Action