As a child I was a quick reader, a keen learner, and an avid explorer. I sought out new opportunities, and always looked for ways to impress my teachers and family. At 14 my academic prowess was going strong, heading into GCSEs with a firm belief I would ace every exam because I was ‘Gifted and Talented’, what could possibly go wrong? But through the next 8 years of compulsory, further, higher and post-graduate education, I really began to understand that my need to impress, my want for acceptance, and my self-inflicted hatred of hard work was only going to make things so much harder. From crying under the stairwells at 15, to leaving my Halls in the middle of the night, study never got easier from that point.
Keywords: Depression; Study; School; Academic stress; Anxiety;