By Sonia Kumari

SAN JOSE, CALIF.— Balancing my mental and physical state when they’re both at all time lows has been extremely hard to manage recently.

As a Silver Creek High School senior, reaching the point of graduation is an incredible feeling, a goal I’ve eagerly anticipated since my freshman year. Despite grappling with the typical senioritis, a recent wave of physical and mental challenges has significantly impacted not only my academic performance but also my overall well-being, motivation, and mindset.

Following a weekend in Sacramento for a family wedding, I returned home feeling sick and deflated. Having already experienced COVID twice, I was confident it wasn’t that, and the symptoms more closely aligned with the flu. A deep, persistent cough and other flu symptoms forced me to miss several days of school, causing me to fall behind in numerous classes. This setback suddenly added an unexpected layer of difficulty to my final year. 

Amidst dealing with a debilitating illness and falling behind in school, I sensed my mental health plummeting to a new low, causing a pervasive feeling of failure in all aspects of my life. The loss of motivation coupled with forced isolation intensified my sense of loneliness and majorly contributed to my negative thoughts. The deteriorating state of my physical and mental well-being became overwhelming, along with the weight of imagined disapproval from my teachers and the fear of letting people down.

As my sickness progressed, my immune system weakened, leading to more problems than initially presumed. A visit to the doctor after a week of suffering revealed that I was battling pneumonia, not the flu as I had thought. The following morning brought the unwelcome addition of a stye infection in my left eye, painfully swollen. On top of that, the constant, intense coughing resulted in a punctured rib. Faced with this overwhelming amount of health issues, my ability to focus on schoolwork and maintain my regular healthy routine crumbled. In the midst of dealing with concurrent challenges of depression, anxiety, and grief, managing my mental and physical health had been a very difficult task for me.

Struggling with my mental health has been a constant in my life, but the compounding physical ailments made it increasingly challenging to make healthy decisions. Forced to attend school only on days with tests or important assignments, I often skipped other classes, feeling as though I was barely surviving. Recognizing the confusion and likely disappointment from my teachers, I took the initiative to email them, providing a detailed account of my struggles. The moment I hit send, a wave of relief washed over me, and I was gratified to receive supportive responses from all my teachers, urging me to prioritize my health. One of my favorite teachers here at Silver Creek, Mr. Youngblood responded back to my email saying, “Thank you so much for the note. I am sorry you are going through this and I hope that you get better soon. Your health is key to your mental, physical, and emotional well-being, and I understand your need to fully recover.  We will be here and we can discuss missing coursework when you return, for now, take care of yourself. Hope to see you back in class soon.  Thanks again for the note.” Being reassured left me with hope and more motivation as I could see the support I was receiving.

As I approach the end of my senior year, my advice to students facing similar struggles is simply this: prioritize your health. Mental and physical! Recognize that reaching out for support is not a sign of weakness, but an act of self-care. Communicate openly with teachers and seek understanding. Graduating is an achievement, but so is prioritizing your well-being!

​​ 

Glad to be back at school feeling healthy and happy!