Hi, my name’s Libby, I'm 14 and in year 9. My favorite thing to do is athletics, I’ve been doing it for about 3 years now and it's my favorite way to help clear my head and have fun.
During around September-February of 2020 and 2021 I went through one of my hardest times of my life mental health wise. It was around December I found that things were getting too much for me and I realized I had to talk to somebody about it or else how could I get better?
After speaking to my mum, it became so much easier like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. We agreed to get a doctor's appointment which was very helpful and after giving me a prescription, she referred me to CAMHS.
In the beginning I wasn’t a massive fan of CAMHS as it felt like there were so many questions I was being asked, but I soon realized they are there to help and it became much easier. Talking to someone who isn't a family member or close friend can be so helpful because they can listen and not judge you because they don’t know any of your personal friends or family members.
Knowing that everything we think and feel comes from our head can be so powerful and realizing that it's not the outside world that creates how we feel; it's all in our head.
Fast forwarding 3 or so months I feel so much better having had sessions with Marie and some with CAMHS, I can deal with situations a lot better and can relate or understand why people may be acting in a certain way towards me or someone else. For example, a couple of months back I was sat in class and a boy made a comment about how I looked, and I took it to heart and felt really bad. But, when the same thing happened again recently, I reacted differently and knew that he wasn’t trying to hurt me – it was coming from him thinking that he was being funny, and that he didn’t actually mean it, or he might have been having a bad day and was taking it out on someone. I’ve stopped taking his stuff personally.
Things are so much better for me know. I haven’t had any medication for quite a few months, I’m back doing my athletics which I love and helps me to clear my head. I’m dealing with school a lot better and can concentrate more, and I’m looking forward to improving my grades again.
For anyone now who is struggling it is so important to know that it does get better even if that feels so far away, and the best thing I did was talk to a trusted adult whether that may be someone at home, school or anyone else you may know.
Libby x