03/17/2022 - I JUST FEEL SICK WHEN I GO HOME
I get really stressed when I go home form my parents arguing and homework my family get mad at me alot because I dont have the best grades in the world and they want me to pass but im so stressed from it I just cant get it done from that.
FROM VALERIE
Hello! I'm so glad you decided to reach out about this, family struggles are definitely some of the toughest to navigate. I don't know exactly what you're going through, but I have some very close friends who talk about having similar experiences. Parents of course want what's best for us, hence the stressing over your grades, but I totally have seen how that creates a stressful and unproductive environment... Really the best thing you can do is talk to them because they might not see how their arguing and getting on you about school is affecting you. Keeping the conversation calm if possible and just explaining how you're feeling is a good way to get it all out there. To be completely honest my friends refuse to talk to their parents, but personally whenever my family is doing something that makes me stressed I try to find a moment to tell them how I'm feeling and even if nothing immediately changes I can see when they reword something or ask in a less stressful way for me how school is going. It's definitely worth a shot. Also make sure to do some self care too, you could set like a 20-30 minute timer everyday to do something you like. Drawing, writing, playing a game, anything. It's a small enough time so you have plenty to eat and do school, but that way it'll hopefully let you relax a bit at home and help relieve some of that stress. I hope this helps, you got this!! -Valerie FROM BRI
Hey, thanks for reaching out :) I am really sorry to hear that home life is stressful, I really hate that pit in your stomach that can hurt so much that it becomes distracting in and of itself. I recently was feeling really stressed and what really helped me was going on a short walk around the block. Not much just enough to breathe the air and get away from stress a tiny bit. And then I was working on trying to forgive myself. Forgive my brain for not being where I want to be. Forgive my body for the stress I am feeling and that it is responding by making me feel sick inside. That my body is doing the best it can. And to try to forgive others for loving so much that they don't know how to express their concern or their vulnerability and not knowing how to handle not being able to fix something out of their control. But mostly forgiving yourself, because you're doing the very best that you can. And that is good enough. That will ALWAYS be good enough. Because just being is pretty dang splendid and I am so freaking proud of you. And you should be proud of yourself. Because you have grades. And that means you haven't given up. I know classes don't give participation grades but in life, I really feel like showing up to life wins you the biggest gold star that you can find. I still remember a few years ago that I was so stressed I watched all 10 seasons of friends in like 3 weeks. And if you are doing the math, that's like 11 hours a day like I don't even know where I found the time, but just being was a lot back then. But you know what? I'm okay. Like the world didn't explode, I am doing okay, and I made it through a rough time in the best way I knew how. Not that I recommend the method, but like my point is you don't give yourself enough credit for the little things, you know? I found this book (How to love the world--poems of gratitude and hope, edited by james crews, forward by ross gay) yesterday and it really jumped off the shelf at me and some of the quotes really stuck out to me. In such a big way that I totally defaced the book with a pen and highlighter which I pretty much never do (except for school). Plus I never feel compelled to read the intro stuff like the forwards or anything but for some reason I read it and it was one of my favorite parts of the book so far. But anyway, here are a few that really changed how I was feeling about stress and negativity I was having: "in daily life, we must see that is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy" "we can survive without it [hope], but we cannot thrive". And probably the part that most got me was this lady was talking about waking up in a grumpy mood even though shes a morning person and just having a roughhhhh day and her husband or whoever was like "are you happy to be alive?" and she looks over at him all glaring and unhappy but that what he said stuck with her and she later was able to be like yeah I am happy to be alive. Happy to be safe and have food and access to education and with family and even the anger was a reminder that she was alive and that without the bitter you don't get the sweet. Idk, I don't know why it touched me so much but yesterday it did and I really wanted to share it with you. I am really sorry things have been so difficult recently, and I'd really love to hear more about it. I truly believe in you and I am so proud of all that you do to just be you. FROM DAVID
Hey it's David thanks for reaching out. I understand where your coming from with parents not supporting you and hampering you about your grades. Grades aren't everything and I'm sure you have so many other talents and grades don't define you. You could try talking with them about the stress your feeling and that it's not helping you get your work done and maybe they can help if they truly care about your grades. You can also work with your teachers or school counsellors and they can help you get better grades or help out with what you might be struggling with. You are your own person with your own characteristics and unique skills and you sure to be a successful person! FROM TESSA
Hi, thank you for writing us! You are so strong for reaching out for support. That sounds very stressful, I completely understand why you have a hard time getting work done in an unsupportive environment. I am so sorry to hear that your family gets mad at you for your grades. I'm sure they just want you to do your best and succeed, but angry words can still hurt. If you think its appropriate, maybe try having a conversation with them about how you're feeling stressed at home. When I had issues with my parents, I built up the courage to talk to them about it and things are going so much smoother now. It can be nerve wracking, but preparing what you want to say could be helpful if you choose to talk to them. Sometimes, people aren't ready to adjust or change and we need to separate ourselves from the situation. For your own well being in a situation like that, I'd recommend identifying some spaces where you are able to relax, do homework or just exist in an environment that isn't stressful. Maybe its a friend or family members home, a classroom, a park etc. If you are able to try any of these things, feel free to write us back or call/text during our hours and let us know how it went. Hang in there, you are stronger than you think :) |
