Storytelling
Blog
Read honest & personal teen mental health stories
Trigger warning: stories contain mental health struggles and may mention eating disorders, self harm, and suicide attempts.
Hi! I'm Bela, a high school junior
Bela's story:
As much as high school junior Bela D. loves learning, she struggled with being in a school environment.
Outside of the confines of school buildings, she poured her heart into her studies, driven by her gratitude for having an education. But at school, there were questions. Conversations. People—so many people. Café food and the dreaded hour of lunch.
Hey! I'm Mira, a high school senior
Mira's story
On Sunday nights, you can find rising senior Mira D. relaxing in a face mask while spreading a glossy coat of varnish atop her nails. Known as her “skincare nights,” for Mira, self care has become a weekly tradition.
Whether it’s those Sunday skincare nights, devoting a part of her day to reading, or watching an episode of her go-to show, self care is now an important connection in the support network that Mira has developed over the years — but things weren’t always that way.
When Mira began her mental health journey, she felt alone.
Shoes slap against the ground, bringing up clouds of dust. Blood pulses through veins; hearts pound against rib cages. Air unevenly rushes in and out. The rugged nature, the sun, the numbers on a track — everything whizzes past.
It’s in moments like these where Lena K., a rising sophomore at Sarah Lawrence College, finds their safe space. Sometimes, it’s just Lena and the achingly rewarding feel of running; other times, they crack jokes and form memories with their tight-knit cluster of friends on the college track and cross country teams.
But in the fall of Lena’s junior year of high school in 2018, they couldn’t run cross country like they always did.
Maggie, high school junior
Maggie's story
Junior Maggie P. never expected to have an important realization about her mental health while river rafting. Yet it was her experience during a river rafting trip in Idaho that made everything click.
Prior to that, upon first entering middle school in sixth grade, she had been feeling overwhelmed.