I recently realised that friends and family around me have been dismissing my emotions or treating me like I have no emotional response to anything they do I also have an important exam around the corner and I’ve been stressed about it. I used to have anxiety attacks but now Im numb to them. Is that the reason, or have I started behaving differently around them? I cant help but think that Im just an acquaintance to everyone I know. I can’t confide in anyone because I dont trust them due to valid reasons. What exactly am I going through?
Hi Sonja
Thank you for your courage to reach out for help. I am sorry to hear about what you are experiencing. My understanding is that you feel unheard, misunderstood and alone. You have shared that there is no emotional validation or support. There is also a lot of stress you are facing due to an upcoming exam.
Firstly, your feelings are fully understandable and fairly common given the challenging circumstances you are in. I encourage you to reach out to a trusted schoolteacher to get the necessary help needed to better prepare for your exams. Build a routine around your studies and fortify your study skills, one step at a time.
If you are comfortable to, please do consider engaging your school counsellor. The counsellor would be able to provide a non-judgmental and safe space for you to process your emotions and make better sense of them. Furthermore, the counsellor and you can work together and equip you with strategies to better regulate your emotions and choose proactive actions you can take to overcome challenges.
She could also facilitate you in identifying who you are, what you stand for and what you hope to achieve. The clarity you develop is likely to help you map out the actions you need to take to achieve your aspirations and needs. The counsellor can help you develop essential skills and brainstorm strategies to build trusting, balanced and fulfilling relationships.
Please do keep taking small positive steps forward and build towards what you aspire to achieve. Stay focused and optimistic. You can do this. 
Thank you for the much appreciated advice! Sadly my school does not have a counselor:( but i’ll keep your advice in mind
Hi Sonja,
Thanks for confiding here. Sorry to hear about what you’re facing right now, it must feel like a confusing time and I want you to know that your feelings are valid.
From what I can infer from your post, it seems like you feel a sense of loneliness and isolation from others, due to the dismissiveness of the people around you with regards to your emotions, and extending from that, resulting in you feeling like you’re unable to trust them? Yet at the same time, it seems that you are hoping to be able to satisfy these feelings of loneliness and isolation.
It is understandable that these feelings may cause a sense of confusion within you. We as people are not 1-dimensional and can experience a myriad of different feelings at times, some which may contract each other, with many a times, them stemming from the same problem as well!
Understand that you feel like you can’t confide in anyone. Do you think you can identify a certain person or people that you may feel more confident in confiding too? How often do you feel these emotions?