Mental health

Burnout is the creeping sense of numbness when you no longer care about the work you once loved.
It’s the rise in irritability or anger, when even simple tasks or conversations feel too much.

Anxiety can cause multiple physical symptoms, and one of them is the inability to perform certain everyday tasks, work-related assignments, or social activities.

People say I should calm down. That I’m imagining things. But this is real—to me, it’s real. The fear. The confusion. The way my mind twists and turns until I don’t know what’s true anymore.

I am the only Black boy in the class… and sometimes I feel bad. It’s stressful to fit in.

I try to tell them. I really do. But they just smile, nod, and tell me to “stay positive.”
But how do I stay positive when the whispers never stop?

I wake up to whispers. They creep in before my eyes even open, murmuring things I can’t quite understand but feel deep in my chest. Some days, the voices are kind, like old friends keeping me company.

Depression is not a normal part of growing older, and it should never be taken lightly.