Advice Request
This person seems to have become overly stressed because of all of the problems they're experiencing in life at the moment.

Answered Submission
Hmm. . .I wish you didn't have to go through so many struggles at once. Experiencing multiple conflicts can be overwhelming—so overwhelming that you can experience stress, and that can affect us badly.

The first thing you need to acknowledge is that giving up easily is not the best option. Switching schools can be extremely difficult; in fact, some people have such a hard time transitioning that they end up worse in their new school. There is nothing that guarantees you'll be better off at the new school you wish to attend, so, before actually transferring, please consider all of the risks that come with it. It's understandable that you want to start out new and fresh, but even then you might have to sacrifice certain things. Does this mean you shouldn't transfer and just stay in the school you attend right now? Of course not! However, love, remember that there are pros and cons to everything. Before making a decision, especially a decision that can change our life to the better or worse like this one, take all good and bad outcomes into consideration. Ponder over them and analyze them; by analyzing them, I mean to measure the pros and cons and see which one outweighs the other. For some people, the pros outweigh the cons while, for others, the cons outweigh the pros.

Make a list of pros and cons on a piece of paper, and, then, from there on, you can start to measure them out.

Here are some things to take into consideration when trying to measure them out:

1. If there are more pros, then that means it's going to be good for you if you transfer. If there are more cons, then it's best for you to stay at the same school.

2. Keep in mind that quality outweighs quantity. Perhaps this seems like a paradox after you read this point, but it actually isn't. After concluding which column (the pros or cons) are larger in number, read over that large column over. If they seem like legitimate reasons to transfer or not to transfer, then you have your answer; if they seem illogical, then read over the other column, and if the content written in that column makes more sense to you, then you will have your answer.

Now you might ask us what the pros and cons are, but we can't tell you what they are. The only person who can do that is you. You know yourself more than anyone else does, so think about things that will change in your life (in a good and bad way) if you transfer schools; those will be your pros and cons. Lastly, keep in mind that there is always a way to improve relationships, so one great way to not transfer at all is to work on your friendships! :)

Moreover, know that your education is valuable, so never allow anyone or anything to break that relationship you have with your learning. Create a study schedule as soon as possible! Divide up the workload realistically. One way you can do this is by studying for every school subject on a daily basis--even when you aren't given homework in it! If you dedicate twenty to thirty minutes to every class, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to catch up or keep your grade(s) up. If you don't feel like studying for every subject every day, then only do assignments when they're assigned; that's alright as long as you do NOT procrastinate in any way at any given time. Keep your eyes on your teacher and board at all times, and keep your ears turned on in every subject. If you don't have a planner, buy one and write down everything you need to do for your school subjects to earn the grade you want (whether they're homework assignments or not); in that planner, write down the due date of homework assignments.

To be specific, do this for your current assignments:

1. Work on your project until the day it is due; this means you will have to divide up the workload for a few days (you won't feel overwhelmed this way). You still have time, so don't worry. If you are productive enough by managing your time wisely and setting priorities, you'll have it done in no time. Every day you work, you must write down a goal and accomplish it! You are not allowed to stop working on it until you accomplish that goal. Take a break of thirty minutes if needed. Just make sure to write a realistic goal rather than an ideal one.

2. Getting good grades is important, but it's usually impossible to earn a good grade unless you understand what you are learning. This especially applies to math. Ask your teachers for your quizzes, homework assignments, and tests after they grade them to see how well you did. If you didn't do good, then that means you aren't understanding the content. Your job, at this point, will be to take action. Check if you can get help from a tutor at school, and always ask your teacher questions at school; if you can, even have your teacher tutor you for extra help. Complete ALL homework assignments; the thing with math is that you won't understand it until you practice over and over again. Look up YouTube videos when you are struggling in a certain area, and join websites like Khan Academy online to get extra help. If you do all of this, your grade will get better naturally. All you have to do is put in the effort to understand the content, and your effort will reflect in your grade.

3. If you have a play coming up, I'm assuming that's because you enjoy acting or singing. This is wonderful to know. Having a play coming up means you are going to be in that play because you want to, would like to, and have a passion for acting or singing (or maybe even both :P). Don't allow something you enjoy to hurt you. All you have to do is to remind yourself that being in a play means you will get to express yourself beautifully, so take advantage of that by preparing for it starting NOW! Otherwise, you'll miss out the fun that comes with it.

4. Depression and anxiety are still stigmatized, unfortunately. Many people don't take psychological disorders as legitimate  illnesses, so I feel for you. Since your parents and sibling won't understand your struggle, it is time you reach out for help. Talk to a trusted adult, whether it be at school or in your neighborhood, about your situation. Ask them to help you find a professional who can help you treat these two problems. If your old enough, seek out professional help yourself as soon as possible. The sooner you receive help, the sooner you'll find satisfaction in life. And, if anything, our team would love to see you happy.

Smile for us, alright, darling? We love you.

Take care.

The Advice Column Team