Had a conversation with my uncle today. Even though I'm well past the age, I still haven't finished high school. Periodically my family reminds me of how much of a disappointment I am. When I tried my best aat my final 2.5 classes, I failed. I tried again and failed, and I've tried again with the same results. You see, about half way through senior year, I broke. Every thing I had suppressed for years suddenly became too much to bare. I couldn't focus. Every time I tried resulted in a breakdown, me crying, and the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. I've gotten better, but when I go to try again I'm right back to the anxiety, the fear that my best will never be good enough, the fear that, if I fail again, I'll be looked at as an even bigger disappointment than I am now. It hurts... a lot. What hurts more is being told my depression and anxiety are a choice. Being told I chose this state of mind. Being told I'm not trying when I am. Being told that everyone has anxiety and gets down sometimes, which is true, but it's different when there's a chemical imbalance in your brain. Being told that I'm using it as an excuse. Being told I'm choosing to stay down. As if anyone would choose to be this way. As if I actually like the breakdowns, the constant reminder that I'm a failure of a person, the anxiety that just sits in the corner of my mind never shutting up, the near constant state of exhaustion. The conversation with my uncle basically ended with him saying I'm just not trying. He doesn't see the constant battle I wage against myself every single day. He doesn't see, doesn't try to see, how hard it is for me to leave my bed, to stay out of my room and pretend like I'm okay so my mom doesn't lecture me about being lazy. Then they get upset and act like I betrayed them when I talk to literally anyone but them. I genuinely want to give up, to disappear. I want the pain to stop. It's hard when the only pattern you have is one of failure to do simple tasks, like finishing high school. Its not that I don't want to try again, its that if I do, I'll have to face the same failures. And if I fail again, they'll all hate me even more so than they do now. I wish it was as easy as not thinking about it and just doing it.