This document contains multiple passages about struggling with mental health issues like anxiety, depression, loneliness, and self-doubt. It discusses feeling empty, crying alone, lacking motivation, hiding pain with fake smiles, overthinking, and wanting to give up. The passages emphasize that mental health issues are not always obvious and can look like being helpful or doing well in school. They also address not needing to justify feelings to others and caring for oneself during difficult times. Overall, the document aims to express common feelings associated with mental health challenges and normalize discussing related struggles.

1. YOU ARE NEVER ALONE
EVEN IF IT FEELS THAT
WAY

2. Telling someone with…
 Anxiety to ‘just stop worrying’
 Depression to ‘just be happy’
 Insomnia to ‘just go to sleep’
 Anorexia to ‘just eat’
 Bulimia to ‘just keep it in’
 Self harm issues to ‘just stop cutting’
 Problems to ‘just get over it’
Is like stabbing yourself in the stomach with a massive
knife, saying ‘just stop bleeding’ and then
immediately feeling better, it’s not how it works.

3. Have you ever felt like you don’t know what’s going on anymore?
Like you don’t care about anything anymore.
You’ve lost your motivation to do anything.
You are confused about your feelings, and you can’t explain how you feel.
You have that feeling of emptiness, and no one is there for you, that feeling
that no one understands you anymore.
And it seems like there’s nothing to look forward to anymore.
Yeah, I get these feelings too.

4. Have you ever laid in bed and just cried? because you think
you’re ugly, because you’re not good enough for anyone,
you’ve counted all your flaws from head to toe, making
yourself fell worse, cried because of all the comments that
people blurt out, actually hurt? cried because your family is
dysfunctional and never understands you, they tell you to
stop complaining, that you have it so much better than kids
in Africa, even though they don’t understand your life
either, you don’t want to feel like an attention seeker, so
you bottle everything up around friends and family, you’ve
created this lying smile and people believe it but then at
night time when you’re all alone in bed, the girl who
everyone thought was always so happy, is crying her
broken heart out.

5. I don’t know if you’ve ever had one of those days..
Where you’d rather be hit by the train then take another
breath
Or not get out of bed because you’ve forgotten how to love
or how to be loved
Where each step is like a war zone not wanting to go on
but knowing you have to
I don’t know if you’ve ever had one of those days but I hope
you never do

6. I’m starting to slowly reach that
point in life.
I’m just so used to everything
now, people talking shit
about you, people hating
you for no reason.
People will hurt you, even
though they say they won’t.
Promises will be broken, even
though they promised.
People will use you and take
advantage of you.
People will make you regret,
giving them your trust
Truth is, I don’t give a fuck
anymore.

7. Do you know what it’s like to have barely any friends that are there for you?
Do you know what it’s like to have no one understand you?
Do you know what it’s like to have no one to talk to?
Do you know what it’s like to have to hide your pain everyday?
Do you know what it’s like to not want to talk to anyone?
Do you know what it’s like to feel like crying all the time?
Do you know what it’s like to feel like you are doing nothing right?
Do you know what it’s like to be judged for everything you do?
Do you know what it’s like to want to hurt yourself?
Do you know what it’s like to overthink everything?
Do you know what it’s like to be tired all the time?
Do you know what it’s like to feel empty?
Do you know what it’s like to be tired of everything?
Do you know what it’s like to want to give up?
Do you know what it’s like to not feel wanted?
Do you know what it’s like to fake a smile?
Do you know what it’s like to feel sad for no reason?
I know what it’s like, and it hurts like hell

8. I hate that feeling..
That feeling when you are sad but you have no idea why.
You feel so fucking empty, but nothing in particular happened.
They ask you what’s wrong, but you can’t explain.
Or they don’t even ask anything, I don’t know which one is worse.
It just feels like I miss someone I never met.
Like I need someone who doesn’t need me.
The loneliness hovers over me, takes control over me, I don’t even
care.
I isolate myself on purpose. Sadness becomes my best and only friend.
I start hurting myself and I want everybody to leave me alone.
At the same time, I want someone to hug me and to tell me things will
be okay.
I simply hate that feeling.
That feeling when you don’t even know
what the fuck you’re feeling.

9. “Are you happy?” is such a difficult question. I always say yes,
because I have friends, I laugh at jokes, I go out a lot and
have fun, my life isn’t as bad as it could be, and I don’t
have terrible problems, it could be worse.
But then, one night at 3am when I’m alone still awake, lying in
bed, thinking about life, I find myself crying my heart out.
Suddenly I convince that nobody likes me, or nobody will
ever like me. I feel horrible and I question everything I had..
and I don’t know if I was ever happy at all.

10. Depression isn’t always that girl
that’s crying in the bathroom
or the boy that is always
wearing long sleeves.
It isn’t always suicide notes and
pill bottles,
Sometimes, it’s all smiles and
good grades.
Sometimes, it’s the boy that is
always helpful and the girl
that you always borrow
things from.
Depression isn’t always that
easy to notice.

11. Sometimes you need to remind yourself that you were
the one who carried you through the heartache. You
are the one who sits with the cold body on the shower
floor, and picks it up. You are the one who feeds it,
who clothes it, who tucks it into bed, and you should
be proud of that. Having the strength to take care of
yourself when everyone around you is trying to bleed
you dry, that is the strongest thing in the universe.

12. Living with mental illness
means that on some days it
will be even harder to cope
and you might not be able
explain why. It could be
because you haven’t slept
enough, because a smell
reminded you of feeling sad,
or for no reason at all.
This is a reminder that we
don’t have to justify our
feelings or abilities to
anyone, just do what’s
needed to make it to the
next day.

13. Having anxiety and depression is
like being scared and tired at
the same time. It’s the fear of
failure but no urge to be
productive. It’s the wanting
friends but hate socialising, It’s
wanting to be alone but not
wanting to be lonely. It’s caring
about everything then caring
about nothing. It’s feeling
everything at once then feeling
paralysingly numb.

14. Anyone: What’s wrong?
My mind: The people I call friends, aren't my actual friends
My mind: I’m constantly feeling alone
My mind: I’m starting to look at myself different
My mind: Nothing feels the same anymore
My mind: I’m so sick of feeling fat and ugly
My mind: I feel like I’m worthless all the time
My mind: I feel like I’m going to fail at anything I try and do
My mind: I feel like no one cares about me
My mind: I just wanna sleep all day and never wake up
Me: Oh nothing I’m fine