PART ONE: SCHOOL

My intelligence is defined by numbers, letters, and percentages. Is that all I am? If you’re smart you’re expected to always know what you are doing. What about when It all gets to be too much? I enveloped myself in school. The regular one hour of homework turned into and hour and a half, then two, then three. I joined clubs and sports on top of taking the highest classes offered. I balanced family and friends with my school life. Butterflies in my stomach turned into panic attacks. One hour less of sleep turned into going weeks with less than three hours of sleep each night. I broke. No one understands what really happens when the “smart kid” breaks. I never felt smart. All I knew is I was devoting all my time and effort to school. I was not human. I don’t know what I was. What do you do when you are nothing like society expects you to be?

So how can we change this? First of all, we have to accept that we are only human. We may hate being human but guess what? That’s exactly what we are. You can only take on so much. It is okay to drop a sport or club if it is becoming too much. One bad grade isn’t the end of your life. The world will pull you this way and that but you also need to pull yourself away from the world. If you have a religion make sure that you devote time to it. Make sure you sleep. Make sure you eat. Nothing is worth selling your mental state for.

Sincerely,

Cat27