Dear Stressed and Depressed

My response to the letter

Dear Stressed and Depressed,

    Thank you for writing me in glad you did, i am very sorry to here about what you are going through. As i was reading your email some things you had said caught my attention, and made me wonder if you have depression as well as stress?

      One thing that i know is a sign of depression is with drawl from family and friends, and i read in your email that you 'just want to be alone'? I personally don't think that being alone is a good choice. I know of a very good hot line that you could call and talk to. That way you can be alone but still have someone to talk to. I will leave the info at the end of this email , it would be really good if you gave them a call.

        The second thing that made me think that you may be depressed is that you had said basketball is your favorite sport and you said after that "It just doesn't seem important to me" Doing what you love should always be important! This fits into the decreased interest in activities categories which is another sign of depression. Like i had said earlier you should never give up on what you love. A person you could talk to is a teacher, i know that they the seem like the worst people on earth to talk to about your personal problems but really they actually understand a lot  and are there not only to teach you but to be there for you when you need some one to talk to. I went through a similar situation as you and i didn't know what to do, my PE teacher noticed and asked me if everything was alright, at first i was a little nervous about talking to my teacher but then i gave in and i talked to her and she really helped me.

     Another thing i noticed was when you said about your parents that 'they don't even notice me' I'm sure  they do  notice you but as you said, they are getting a divorce so they have to work through that and that they are no longer going to be with the person they a once loved deeply. This stage of depression is when teens or adults are having a difficult relationship with their parents or a significant other. It is normal but know that they do love you and wouldn't want you to feel this way. A good way to get out the hurt and frustration is to talk to others who have or are going through the same thing, like a support group. They know what you are going through and may have tips to work through it.

     The last thing that had me wondering if you have depression is how you said 'I just don't feel like myself anymore.' Its okay to not feel like yourself, but it doesn't mean you are a bad person. Everyone is a good person we all just have different ways of showing it.A good think about low self - esteem is to just talk about it. I know its not the easiest subject to talk about but it really will help! Last year was my first year of high school and i was extremely nervous, coming into school i  was going though problems at home and i felt like i didn't have a place in school everyone one had there group of friends and i didn't know where i would fit in. I had heard about our school councilors but hearing what others had said about them  figured they were just for help about college and school related issues. At some point i just gave in and took the risk and talked to my assigned councilor. I was nervous at first but then i was extremely glad i did because the really helped me with finding who i am and what i wanted to be and now i have a close group of friends of my own. Being in high school can be nerve racking but talking to a trusted adult can make it less scary than it already is.

     Life can be tough some times and you will always come across problems as you continue your life, but in the mix of sadness and pain is a whole lot of greatness! If you eat healthy and take care of your body you will feel happy energized and refreshed and always ready to start a new day. When something in your life has gotten you blue just remember to to talk to someone because getting through a problem alone is very hard, it always helps to have someone along who is going to be there for you know matter what you are going through. They may not know exactly how you are feeling but they may have an idea from a previous situation they had gone through.

       Teen hot line: 310-855-4673