I'm new here and I'm gonna make this quick because I can't be bothered to type a lot. I'm 15 and I have a few friends but none of them like to talk about serious stuff. My parents a generally ignorant and I can be in literal tears and say I'm just tired and they believe me. My parents do not believe in mental illnesses and when my sister asked to see a therapist my mum told her there is nothing wrong with her. I'm not close with my sister, by the way, so talking to her isn't really an option.

I've been feeling really down lately. I don't remember when this started, but I have no energy and I keep crying. I don't have the energy to talk much and I cried twice in class today. I feel really alone and I can't stop thinking about it. I can't concentrate and I don't really care about much now. I'm writing this instead of doing an assignment that's due in half an hour, actually.

I just don't know what happened. I used to feel fine despite the lack of attention I get from my parents. Now I just can't stop crying and I don't want to go to school tomorrow at all. My parents don't know about any of this, they think I'm always fine and there's nothing wrong with me.

I guess I'll just leave it as that.

Hey cjcj5,

Welcome to our friendly online community, we are so grateful you decided to join us here. We know it can be really tough to reach out, so thank you for having the courage to post here today. We're so sorry to hear that you're feeling really down and alone. We understand that this must be really tough to cope with on your own, especially if you feel you can't reach out to your loved ones. We're sure that many in our community members will be able to relate to these feelings and hopefully some of them will be able to offer you words of support and advice.

Please know that you're not alone in this, and support is always here for you. We'd really recommend reaching out to our friends at Kids Helpline. They are a confidential and anonymous, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged 25 and under, and are available 24/7 over the phone (1800 55 1800) and also through online chat: https://kidshelpline.com.au. One of the friendly counsellors will be able to talk through these feelings with you and offer support and advice to help you through this difficult time.

If you feel up to it, you may also like to get in touch with our friends at Headspace, who can offer a wide range of services for those under 25- including counselling and group programs which are a great opportunity to meet people. They also have a group chat on their webpage - https://headspace.org.au/

We hope you feel free to reach out here on your thread and keep us updated on what you're feeling and experiencing whenever you feel up to it.

Hey cjcj5

Welcome and can I say how proud I am of you? It is not easy to share a painful feeling, let alone to say how horrible your day has been and that it reduced you to cry in class, that is tough. I am so glad you have reached out here for some comfort and some support and someone to sit with you.

I am a parent too, my son is 16 and my daughter is 13, so while I don't know what it is like to be a teen these days, I know it is so much harder than when I was your age. I don't know why, technology? access to too much information? I don't know but I can see the pressures, from friends, from school, from society and from us as parents and it is alot.

This is a safe space for you to share how you are feeling, to get it out and to get some hope and some light to shine on your day.

I am sure that your parents are doing the best that they can with what they know, for you though and maybe your sister too they are not able to help in the matter of mental health, and that is fine, we need to get you some help and to find someone that is able to help. Sophie_M has given you some great resources in KidsHelp Line and Headspace, who are so brilliant, I cannot express how wonderful they are and that might be a great start.

Also, and I don't know how you will feel about this but a trip to the GP might be in order too, to have a chat and to check you out, to see if you need some extra help or support from them.

We are here for you cjcj5, and well done for reaching out tonight.

I am here to chat, to listen and to let you know you are not alone.

Hugs

Sarah

Hi cjcj5

I feel for you so much as you try to make sense of the overwhelming challenge you face.

Can definitely be tough to make sense of why our parents don't have the ability to guide us when we're so desperately in need of guidance or why people don't acknowledge legitimate mental health issues. It can be hard to make sense of why we feel so incredibly exhausted when there doesn't appear to be any outstanding reason. So glad you came here in an effort to try and make sense of things. Seeking self understanding is a part of the nature of a highly conscious person.

I believe it's important to have a circle of people we can rely on. Each member of that circle may play a different role. Each one becomes our 'go to' person depending on our circumstances. In your circle you will have your parents who you can rely on for financial support and basic care. You have your friends who you can rely on to experience different aspects of friendship. In this circle you have a person/people you can go to when it comes to self understanding or mental health challenges. There may be other people in the circle who have other roles as well. Such people who fill such roles become resources. If we appoint each one a role we know they can fill, we rarely face the need to disappoint them from the role we've given them. It can work another way too. If you appoint a person the role of 'he/she who helps me navigate through mental health' what you may end up witnessing is them disappointing them self from that role if they don't have the ability to fill it, ignore the role (are ignorant) and so on. For now, you may feel the forums here can be your 'go to' for mental health when it comes to your circle. This role may be filled with others as life unfolds and more people enter your circle.

Being a mind/body/spirit (nature) person, I find it's important to address all 3 aspects regarding exhaustion and why it's happening. Ongoing mental exhaustion can chronically fatigue the body's systems. Physical exhaustion of different systems can actually alter our mind. Both can impact our naturally excitable nature, leading us to wonder where the excitement in life's gone. The flip side of exhaustion - energy. What kind of energy's going in? Is it mental negative energy from people around you? Are you receiving enough physical energy (food, restorative sleep etc)? Some blood tests could be in order (B12, Iron etc).

What do you imagine could be the 1st step in this challenge?

:)