I’ve been struggling w my mental health for the past few months and have been meaning to recah out but i’m not sure how. I’m really worried that I’ll trouble my parents by doing so. I also don’t want my friends and family to have to worry about me cus i feel like that just makes me a nuisance . I’ve been confiding in my close friends and they’ve been encouraging me to talk to a professional. But is that actually going to help me? what if my parents think im weak? I’ve been stressing about exams, responsibilities and friendships which I’m sure is normal so should i really take the step to talk to a professional? I’ve been crying a lot which also affects my revision for EOYs. I just can’t handle it anymore.
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Hi @goofy.com
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings here on this platform. I want you to know that reaching out for help is a brave and important step, and it’s a sign of strength, not weakness. I’m truly sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling with your mental health, but you don’t have to go through this alone.
I want to affirm you that your concerns about troubling your parents or becoming a burden on your friends and family are valid and real, but it’s crucial to remember that they care about your well-being. They want to see you happy and healthy, and they would likely prefer that you seek help if you’re going through a difficult time.
I want to affirm you also, that it is completely okay to cry when you feel overwhelmed. Crying is a way for us to express our emotions, and it signals to us that our emotional wellbeing is in distress. I encourage you to find ways to address these feelings rather than trying to keep them to yourself and handle them on your own. You don’t need to continue feeling this way, and I encourage you to seek professional help.
When you speak to a mental health professional, it can be incredibly beneficial as they are trained to provide support, guidance, and tools to help you manage your mental health. They can also offer coping strategies for dealing with stress, anxiety, and any other challenges you’re facing. Most importantly, they provide a safe and confidential space for you to express your thoughts and feelings without judgment. The therapist will also be able to help you develop effective strategies to manage your exam and responsibility stressors.
If you do decide to talk to a mental health professional, you can also discuss your concerns about your parents’ reactions with them, and the great thing is that they can provide guidance on how to approach this conversation with your parents in a way that helps them understand your needs and concerns too.
Last but not least, I would like to share a few options for you if you’re still not ready to seek professional help face to face. You can also try these online counselling services which may be helpful as a start:
- Limitless : Talk To Someone - Limitless
- CPH chat : https://www.cphonlinecounselling.sg/hc/en-us
- IMH CHAT : https://www.imh.com.sg/CHAT/Pages/default.aspx
- ec2.sg : https://fycs.org/ec2-sg
Please know that you are not alone, and there is help available to assist you in finding healthier ways to cope with your stressors, and improve your overall well-being. Do let us know how you’re coping and if you’ve managed to reach out to anyone for further support! Take care! 
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Hello @goofy.com
Thank you for taking the first step to share about your mental health struggles with us here. I relate with what you said about your stressors and how it may seem like normal teenage struggles, when you look at them individually. However, collectively, I can see how the impact of exams, responsibilities and friendship compounds and it can definitely be too much for someone to handle. So, I hope you know that you’re not weak for saying that you can’t handle it anymore. You have tried to do so in the past few months and I hope you’ll give yourself some credit for surviving thus far. 
The choice to seek professional help is a personal one and I understand your hesitation to do so. However, another way to look at it is that you’re exploring different solutions which you have not tried before! You’re right to say that there is a chance that it might not help. Nevertheless, you might still come out of the experience knowing yourself a little better, even if it’s through finding out what doesn’t suit you.
Alternatively, if you’re comfortable enough to share more details on your struggles here, we would gladly listen! 
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