Where do I go if I need someone to talk to?

I find it strange that your school doesn’t have any mental health professionals. Maybe double check?

If that’s the case, and you live in a reasonably populated place, you can try looking for community health centers. Many of them have mental health services and they will work with you if you don’t have insurance.

You can also try online counseling (like BetterHelp), cognitive behavioral therapy books, herbal supplements like St. John’s Wort, exercise, meditation, or yoga. If there’s a professor you like and trust, talk to them about it. They may be able to help you.

One thing that really helped me personally was to retrain my brain to get me out of the toxic cycle of negative thoughts. Basically, you have to be your own mental drill sergeant, constantly checking in with yourself and asking these questions: “Does that really make sense? Does this situation warrant this reaction? Is this thought making things worse or better?”

These are just some of the things you can try.

go to the lunchroom, and look for anyone sitting alone, ask them if they'd like some company or would they prefer to be alone ?! if yes start talking, if not, keep moving and looking for alone people....

It sounds like you have been going through a lot lately. It is important to understand that the thoughts that you think dictate the feelings that you feel. If you think negative or sad thoughts, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel sad. If you think positive thoughts, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel happy and calm. To overcome depression, you must change your thought patterns, otherwise known as using “thought stopping techniques.”

One way to do this is to carry around a small notebook and write down every negative or sad thought that you have. This will help you to see how many of your thoughts are negative. The average person thinks a negative thought every two minutes! Then, after writing down the negative or sad thought, immediately write down or say aloud a positive thought. Come up with a list of positive thoughts that you can tell yourself: “I’m OK.” “Today is a good day because I am choosing that it will be.” “I am strong.” “This too will pass, and I will get through this.”

Additionally, check out the following 99 coping skills, which can help you to refocus your thoughts on positive things: http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/DiscoverIt/Articl...

There are even therapists who work on a sliding fee scale to make therapy affordable for people who don t have insurance and little to no income. You can usually find them by calling 211 or a crisis line.

Sometimes it can help to talk to someone and tell them about what you are going through. Please know that there are people who can and will help you with what you are going through. You may want to consider talking with a counselor at a hotline. There are many hotlines that are 24/7 and will work with you and situations like yours. Some even have email and/or chat if you would prefer. Hopefully, you will continue to reach out! Sincerely, KO, Counselor

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