This evening, I went to another close friend of mine graduation - she finally finished her undergraduate degree and now she's onto her masters! I feel so proud of her :') then I see all the other graduates there, all happy, celebrating and their parents all dressed up, looking proud for their sons/daughters: seeing this scene - my heart ached. Truly ached because that will never be me. It may be (trying to be hopeful here) but just not anytime soon. Neither do I know when, to be honest.
I've been seeing all the photos and posts from people I left high school with, in combination with attending friends' graduations, they talk about the wonderful lives they are about to begin in their new careers, and every time I see them, it brings tears to my eyes and just made me feel like I am a complete failure. I just feel like I'm this huge fck up that wonders every night to why I'm still making an effort to be alive.
It sucks to be the person that isn't graduating on time. It really does sucks. Neither am I lying and tell you it doesn't. My parents always asked: "You did well in highschool; so why couldn't you make it out in four years of university like you was supposed to?" A complete failure, they say. I agree.
I took a break from uni last year, in hope for healing and recovery.
Now, I recently decided to discontinue my study.
As most of you know, I was diagnosed with mental illness (depression and PTSD to be exact) last year. Unfortunately, I have not been able to manage my condition ever since.
Mental illness carries a stigma behind it. It’s a silent illness, it can strike anyone at anytime.
I (We) get so good at hiding it because I don’t want to share the pain. Even till now, I still get ashamed seeking for help. That is why only (in real life) a few of you knew about my condition and even fewer knows the severity of it.
A lot of things had happened between last year and this year. I have done a lot of thinking, I also have made a lot of changes to my lifestyle. I actively seek for any form of comfort so I could manage my illness better. Though I really don't know what the path I'm on now will take me but I believe Buddha has a greater plan.
This is dedicated to the friends that turned into family whom are always there no matter what I throw at them. I cannot express how thankful I am to have known you. I have had strong urges to commit suicide in the past and believe me, you are the reason why I am still here right now.
There is no regret. If not because of the illness, I would not be able to realise the beauty of the simplest things in the world.
This is not a cry for pity. This is simply to raise awareness that mental illness can happen to anyone even the ones who you never thought would. I never wished this would happen to anyone.
It was hard for me to get to this point (now) and in no way would I consider myself as "fully recovered". Since last year, I went round and round in circles. Relapse, hospital, get better, go home, relapse…. And so the cycle repeated.
After that traumatic experience, I literally felt like (and still do) I lost everything that meant something and in losing those thing, I lost myself. All this reinforced the lies my illness feed me.
What reason did I have to make changes? I had nothing left in my life - what was I fighting for?
But that wasn’t a life I ever wanted. I didn’t want hospital admissions. I didn’t want unnecessary looks and judgements from family, friends and other people to view me as a a sick person, weak and an attention-seeker. What was my alternative option? I couldn’t see a clear alternative and that was terrifying. I grew to understand this new ‘life’ of hospitals. A life away from education and friends. Nurses became my friends and family and hospital bed felt safer than my own bed. I had already lost a life I knew. I didn't believed I would survive.
Last year... I had nothing. Because my mental health stole everything.
I have a life now. A life that I don’t know the destination of, but it’s one with some sort of purpose. I have a life in which I have commitments so I can’t overdose whenever. I have a life in which I don’t want to self harm at all.
I’m not 'recovered’, I thought I did but it was just self-denial all along. An endless cycle..
I’m me and I’m a person who can survive in the world IF I choose to. Yes, each day is a battle to find energy and motivation, but I would pick this life over the life that was keeping me trapped and in hospital any day.
I'm sure I'll solider on, but right now I needed to get this off my chest.
I've been seeing all the photos and posts from people I left high school with, in combination with attending friends' graduations, they talk about the wonderful lives they are about to begin in their new careers, and every time I see them, it brings tears to my eyes and just made me feel like I am a complete failure. I just feel like I'm this huge fck up that wonders every night to why I'm still making an effort to be alive.
It sucks to be the person that isn't graduating on time. It really does sucks. Neither am I lying and tell you it doesn't. My parents always asked: "You did well in highschool; so why couldn't you make it out in four years of university like you was supposed to?" A complete failure, they say. I agree.
I took a break from uni last year, in hope for healing and recovery.
Now, I recently decided to discontinue my study.
As most of you know, I was diagnosed with mental illness (depression and PTSD to be exact) last year. Unfortunately, I have not been able to manage my condition ever since.
Mental illness carries a stigma behind it. It’s a silent illness, it can strike anyone at anytime.
I (We) get so good at hiding it because I don’t want to share the pain. Even till now, I still get ashamed seeking for help. That is why only (in real life) a few of you knew about my condition and even fewer knows the severity of it.
A lot of things had happened between last year and this year. I have done a lot of thinking, I also have made a lot of changes to my lifestyle. I actively seek for any form of comfort so I could manage my illness better. Though I really don't know what the path I'm on now will take me but I believe Buddha has a greater plan.
This is dedicated to the friends that turned into family whom are always there no matter what I throw at them. I cannot express how thankful I am to have known you. I have had strong urges to commit suicide in the past and believe me, you are the reason why I am still here right now.
There is no regret. If not because of the illness, I would not be able to realise the beauty of the simplest things in the world.
This is not a cry for pity. This is simply to raise awareness that mental illness can happen to anyone even the ones who you never thought would. I never wished this would happen to anyone.
It was hard for me to get to this point (now) and in no way would I consider myself as "fully recovered". Since last year, I went round and round in circles. Relapse, hospital, get better, go home, relapse…. And so the cycle repeated.
After that traumatic experience, I literally felt like (and still do) I lost everything that meant something and in losing those thing, I lost myself. All this reinforced the lies my illness feed me.
What reason did I have to make changes? I had nothing left in my life - what was I fighting for?
But that wasn’t a life I ever wanted. I didn’t want hospital admissions. I didn’t want unnecessary looks and judgements from family, friends and other people to view me as a a sick person, weak and an attention-seeker. What was my alternative option? I couldn’t see a clear alternative and that was terrifying. I grew to understand this new ‘life’ of hospitals. A life away from education and friends. Nurses became my friends and family and hospital bed felt safer than my own bed. I had already lost a life I knew. I didn't believed I would survive.
Last year... I had nothing. Because my mental health stole everything.
I have a life now. A life that I don’t know the destination of, but it’s one with some sort of purpose. I have a life in which I have commitments so I can’t overdose whenever. I have a life in which I don’t want to self harm at all.
I’m not 'recovered’, I thought I did but it was just self-denial all along. An endless cycle..
I’m me and I’m a person who can survive in the world IF I choose to. Yes, each day is a battle to find energy and motivation, but I would pick this life over the life that was keeping me trapped and in hospital any day.
I'm sure I'll solider on, but right now I needed to get this off my chest.
