New places, new faces

Hi. I’m a 16 year old girl in a huge city, at least for now. Ever since I can remember I’ve moved around all over the place. New place to live, new school to go to, new people to meet. You know when you get something new and it seems like everything is going to be better. Like when you get a new toy, you play with it all day and it makes you so happy. Well that’s what it seems like every time I move. Like it’s a new beginning, a clean slate. Every time I moved I was scared to meet new people, but also excited. I would go to my first day at a new school in new clothes and try to fit in as best as I could. It seemed like no matter where I went and no matter what I did people still didn’t like me. I’ve been to 10 schools in 11 years all over the country. Next year I’m going to another new school.

Through all of this I’ve learned that it matters who you talk to and what you wear to everyone else. But if you meet a true friend and just stick with them all year then time will go by a lot faster and it really won’t matter.

Through my years moving around I’ve had many problems. I’ve had an eating disorder until I finally got help even though I still occasionally relapse; depression, which I cope with daily but with smiles and fun times comes a better attitude and outlook. I used to self harm as well. I also have ADHD so some people think I’m Bipolar.

Because of moving around so much, I meet a lot of people. Knowing so many people can be hard seeing as the more people you know the more likely it is you’ll go through a hard time like having a friend die. I’ve been around a lot of death. My family, my friends, my pets. But I learned that if you get a group of people who are going through the same death or grieving and talk about it, it’s a lot easier to make it through.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that even if you have problems you can’t just get rid of, there is always a way to make things better. If you are depressed, go out of your comfort zone and meet someone new. If you have an eating disorder, do your best to get help and eat right. If you move around a lot, make at least one good friend and you can make it through anything together. There is always someone for you, whether it be friendship or love. Just be yourself, which I know is hard to do while in high school, but try your best. It actually takes a lot less effort than being someone else.

For more info on moving schools or starting fresh, why not check out some more ReachOut.com fact sheets and stories...

• Starting at a new school(Fact sheet)
• Starting boarding school(Fact sheet)
• In the classroom(Story)