Does it get better?

I'm a 15-year-old girl and honestly, I just need to know if it gets 'better.' I've had severe anxiety since a very young age, and recently I have been feeling depressed. I don't want to die per say but sometimes I just want to disappear. On top of my mental difficulties, I also have an underbite which has led me to feel very insecure about myself. Eventually, I will get jaw surgery and hopefully, this will bring my confidence up. I've been told that it is not super noticeable but I feel like it's all anyone ever sees. My parents' marriage has also gone downhill and the only reason they are still together is because of me and my siblings. Although I am not currently in school (corona) I have found kids my age so different from me. I just don't fit in, I have 2 best friends and I'm pretty friendly with everyone, but every time I am around teenagers I don't know I feel like all they are thinking is how ugly and annoying I am. I know my problems are so small compared to others but I just want to know honestly if it does get better. Anyways thanks for reading this, stay safe!

As someone who also had moments of “wanting to disappear” aged 15, I’m sorry to hear what you’re going through. I can’t say what things will be like for you, but for me, it has massively got better, so maybe that can give you a little hope

I could never have imagined that I would be where I am now back then. In 3 short years I feel like my life and the outlook I have towards it has completely flipped. I went from not being able to stomach the thought of getting up in the morning to actively going out seeking new experiences. I’ve done so many things I never thought I would be able to do. I’ve met and made friends with people in a way I never thought I could. I’ve met people who really click with me when I thought no one in the world ever would.

That said, it was definitely a battle at times, and on some days, it still is. I feel so lucky to have the life I do but it’s not always plain sailing. There will also be difficult days - the key is having more good days than bad ones, and knowing even on the bad ones that you are strong and you will get through this.

So you’ve probably got a fair few battles ahead of you yet, but you never know what great experiences could be right around the corner. You cannot know the happiness that may await or when it will arrive - in my case, it took me 3 months to go from a life that was almost unbearable to a life where I ended each day smiling, and from then on, it got better. Whatever you do, please never give up the hope of a better tomorrow

And whenever you feel like you just want to disappear, take it from me, I am so so glad I didn’t give up.

All the best xx

I'm a 15-year-old girl and honestly, I just need to know if it gets 'better.' I've had severe anxiety since a very young age, and recently I have been feeling depressed. I don't want to die per say but sometimes I just want to disappear. On top of my mental difficulties, I also have an underbite which has led me to feel very insecure about myself. Eventually, I will get jaw surgery and hopefully, this will bring my confidence up. I've been told that it is not super noticeable but I feel like it's all anyone ever sees. My parents' marriage has also gone downhill and the only reason they are still together is because of me and my siblings. Although I am not currently in school (corona) I have found kids my age so different from me. I just don't fit in, I have 2 best friends and I'm pretty friendly with everyone, but every time I am around teenagers I don't know I feel like all they are thinking is how ugly and annoying I am. I know my problems are so small compared to others but I just want to know honestly if it does get better. Anyways thanks for reading this, stay safe!

I'm sorry to hear that. Almost all girls are pretty, you are surely not ugly
Do your best 2 friends treat you well?
By the way,which year of high school are you in? Do you study well?

As someone who also had moments of “wanting to disappear” aged 15, I’m sorry to hear what you’re going through. I can’t say what things will be like for you, but for me, it has massively got better, so maybe that can give you a little hope

I could never have imagined that I would be where I am now back then. In 3 short years I feel like my life and the outlook I have towards it has completely flipped. I went from not being able to stomach the thought of getting up in the morning to actively going out seeking new experiences. I’ve done so many things I never thought I would be able to do. I’ve met and made friends with people in a way I never thought I could. I’ve met people who really click with me when I thought no one in the world ever would.

That said, it was definitely a battle at times, and on some days, it still is. I feel so lucky to have the life I do but it’s not always plain sailing. There will also be difficult days - the key is having more good days than bad ones, and knowing even on the bad ones that you are strong and you will get through this.

So you’ve probably got a fair few battles ahead of you yet, but you never know what great experiences could be right around the corner. You cannot know the happiness that may await or when it will arrive - in my case, it took me 3 months to go from a life that was almost unbearable to a life where I ended each day smiling, and from then on, it got better. Whatever you do, please never give up the hope of a better tomorrow

And whenever you feel like you just want to disappear, take it from me, I am so so glad I didn’t give up.

All the best xx

I am genuinely sorry to hear that you are going through this. I am sure you are beautiful, I have seen girls with underbites that I would consider attractive, and I wouldn't even notice they had an underbite if it was not made obvious. to me I am pretty sure you are the only who notices. And remember that we are our own worst critics.

I don't know about being pretty but thank you. My 2 friends are super nice and I really enjoy spending time with them. I'm in 10th grade currently. My grades are reasonably high but not anything super amazing. I am planning on studying to become a forensic scientist, recently my grades aren't great. I don't have much motivation to do online school at the moment. Thanks for your reply!

You are very polite
Do your 2 friends help you overcome your depression?

Thank you! One of my friends also has depression so she's super understanding. We don't talk about it much though. I act quite differently from what I am feeling inside.

Besides your jaw problem, do other reasons make you depressed?
Do you think making friends can make you feel better?

It does get better. It just will take time and effort (which you are already doing). Are you getting support for your mental health?

I just don't see the point. I am happy sometimes I have to admit but it only lasts a quick second. It is like everything is the same. I go to school and then after I'm done that I go to a bigger school just to get a job that one point or another I will find boring. Society tells us who we should be without making it obvious per se. They say that you can do whatever you want with your life but at the end of the day if you don't do what they want you'll never be accepted. When I'm with my friends I do feel a bit better. But it never lasts.

What's your ambition?