No matter if you are in high school, college, further education, university or the work environment these tips could help make your time their easier and happier. We spend more time at school or work than we do at home and it is important to keep monitoring your mental health while in these environments. Don't worry if not all these tips apply to you or if you feel they won't work because this is a generalised list and you can pick and choose what you think will best suit you.
1. See a professional for support. This is so important because anything that is getting you down or being too stressful must be resolved before it gets out of hand. No problem is too big or too small for you to need help with. I have had help with small things like bathing a bus any buying food from the canteen, to much larger and more complex things like DID and PTSD. Just ask for help and things will get easier.
2. Put your hand up. If something covered in the course isn't making sense ask for help or further explanation. I can guarantee that someone else in that room has the exact same question but could be scared to ask. If raising your hand is too confrontational then talk to your teacher outside of class time and you will get the guidance that you need.
3. Remember that you and everyone else is there for the same reason, TO LEARN. You are not there to make friends, be popular, go to parties, or fit in. When you focus on the main purpose of being there, everything else doesn't matter as much. You can worry about your social status when you are where you want to be but for now just focus on getting through school.
4. Learn to laugh at yourself. Things are guaranteed to be stressful from time to time and the best thing you an do to help in times of stress is to take a step back and laugh. The sooner that you relax and let yourself go the sooner things will get done.
5. Understand that you are not the centre of everyones world. If you fall over, answer a question wrong, mess up a speech, walk in to class late, get a detention or do anything embarrassing; remember that no one cares. They are all too busy being caught up in their lives and their own work that you don't matter. When you can understand this the anxiety about being judged or laughed at just disappears because it's true. No one is watching.
6. Eat, Sleep, Drink and Exercise. These are the foundations of health and if you donthave these under control then its no surprise that your mental health is all over the place. Eat enough to have energy for the day, Sleep the recommended amount of time, Drink plenty of water and Exercise for 30mins everyday. If you are struggling with these things then tell someone and get the support that you need.
7. Talk to the support people within your school/workplace. Most schools will now have a careers advisor, welfare teacher, councillor or learning support team. USE THE SUPPORTS AVAILABLE TO YOU!!!! These people are paid to listen to you which means they have to. If you feel that you are alone in school or have no one around who understands then talk to these people. If they can't help you it is their job to refer you to someone who can. You need to go in with an open mind because chances are that the support won't be the best but at least it's something.
8. Let yourself feel. Holding back emotions is never good for you. If you feel angry, upset, anxious, excited, happy, or stressed and that feeling needs to come out then let it. Don't be scared of your emotions and don't be scared of people judging you because as I said before, people don't care. We all have feelings and so what if you really need to cry, everyone cries! Make sure that you are expressing your emotions in a safe way and if you need assistance in doing so then speak to a professional.
9. Don't stress about the small stuff. That assignment that you didn't do back in grade 9 doesn't mean anything in the long run. So what if you are bottom of the class in science or can't seem to pass any English tests. You are growing, learning, and coping with a mental illness. Everything will be okay and the small thins don't matter.
10. Know that your happiness comes first. If you are studying something that does improve how you feel then stop. Obviously if you can't legally end your education that just wait for it to be over. (EG. In Australia you legally have to be in school til 17 and that whole time you have to study English). But if you can stop doing something that makes you unhappy then stop. I was trying to get into university and study a double degree in writing and business, but I wasn't happy. So I dropped classes, changed my mind, and now in studying hairdressing and salon and having the time of my life doing something that I love. If you are not happy then change what you are doing.
So these where a few tips on how to deal with school when you have a mental illness. I hope that they where helpful and that you can take something positive away from this post. I kept the subject of mental illness very broad for this post but if you are interested in seeing tipster a specific illness then please let me know over on my instagram (@diaryofapsycho1). Thank you so much for the amazing support and I hope you are having an amazing day.
Jen xx
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