Im a kid who doesnt know how to escape my life

[Guest]

Im a child who is 12, im in middle school and have dealt with some very stressing things in my life. My parents are very strict and always want straight A as my grade. Im not that good and they have been pressing me for 8 years. I cant take it anymore, what should i do. I dont want suicide to be a thing i have to do but things are stressing at home and i have no one to talk to as my friends are online and im kept away from electronics alot. My parents dont understand my mental situation and while i want to leave them i also dont want to leave them, what should i do

[ccsmod14]

Hi there,

Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes a lot of courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It sounds like you’re quite overwhelmed by things at home right now. It’s understandable that you might be feeling pressure about your grades and your parent’s expectations. It's good that you're taking initiative to think about your well-being. You do not have to face this alone, and there are different forms of help out there for you.

It might be helpful to have someone that you really trust to know what is going on with your and your feelings, they can always provide you with direct support in person if you needed it, (i.e close friends, family members, school counselor, etc). One option we have here at the National Runaway Safeline is a conference call. We could make sure that you are able to say how you are feeling and come up with a plan together for you to feel better at home. Sometimes it helps to have some support when talking to adults, and we are here to help you if that’s what you want to do. Perhaps another family member, relative, or a family friend who could help to mediate a conversation between you and your legal guardian as well.

It can be beneficial to think about who your support system is in a time like this, whether it be friends or other family members. As an addition resource, the website https://teenlineonline.org/ can be good if you are wishing to speak to other teens about what is going on via chat.

You might also think about doing some self-care activities that you can practice on your own whenever you’re feeling a little frustrated with your situation. Some things that you can think about doing is, setting small goals and celebrating them when they are achieved, maybe make a list of positive traits that you like about yourself, maybe establishing a hobby that makes you feel good about yourself, even try challenging your negative thoughts by asking their validity or by rethinking them in a positive manner (i.e. turn "I am a slow worker" into "I am a worker who takes time to do well at a task"). Starting a journal could also help you with these tasks. Having it all written down in front of you can put things in prospective on how many great things you do from day to day.

Having a space to vent and explore options may often bring out a solution previously not thought of. We are here as support to help you through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat to offer local resources as well.

Take care,
NRS