800-448-3000I Feel Like One Of The Dumbest People Alive
Question
I'm a junior in high school, 16 and I'm just feeling really down. I'm struggling in school, at home, and at work. I have a job that stresses me out quite a bit. My memory is horrible for this last year. I can't remember to do my homework, I CONSTANTLY lose everything. My keys disappear, then my wallet, I've even lost several school books and half of my homework disappears too. I feel like everything I touch I mess up. I can't concentrate during class, I honestly feel like I have to be one of the dumbest people alive. At work even new people correct me. Every single time I work I mess things up, today the entire day I spent bagging and sealing a food in bags to find out at the end of the day that I wasn't supposed to do that. My boss was so frustrated that she cursed and now she has to work extra tomorrow to make up for what I did. I just feel so bad. Everything that I touch I Mess up somehow and it's just getting worse.
Counselor response
It sounds like you are dealing with a lot of obstacles right now. It can be so hard when it seems like nothing is going right. Some days just seem to be extra bad days. Today sounds like one of those days. We have good news! Tomorrow is a new day. You do not have to repeat the day that you had today.
A lot of the issues that you are facing seem to have to do with your ability to be present in your day to day life. When we don't deal with the stress in our lives and allow it to build up it can cause all sort of problems including loss of focus. We think it sounds like it might be time to have an emotional check up. We have a check list that you can follow: Emotional Health Checklist.
Carefully consider each point on this list, just having one of these areas off balance in your life can make a huge difference. If you find something that is off kilter, look for more pointers on that topic in our tips section, talk to an adult you trust, or make an appointment with your doctor.
Take care of you so that you can be and do your best. We know that you can do this and get back on track. We will be here if you want to talk about it along the way.
Sara, Counselor