Remote learning is making me incredibly stressed, sad, miserable, furious, bipolar, and depressed. Sometimes even suicidal. How should I cope?

Thank you so much for your question. Remote learning can be a challenge, and there is a lot going on right now that can make it feel hard to cope – you’re definitely not alone in feeling this way! Reaching out about how you’re feeling was a great step to take.

Lots of different things can be helpful to people when they’re feeling stressed, sad, or angry, so you might want to try out a few things and see what feels right for you. To start with, you could think about what you’ve done in the past when you’ve felt anything similar – for some people, this might include favorite hobbies, reaching out to and talking with people you care about, or doing something relaxing.

Depending on what it is about remote learning that is bringing up these feelings for you, there are a lot of other things you could also do. If you find that you’re struggling with school and class-related stress, you can reach out to your teachers to let them know what you’re having trouble with. If you’re having a hard time with not being able to see your friends and classmates, setting up a time to hang out and catch up over Zoom or other virtual platform can be a great way to stay in touch or reconnect.

No matter what the cause, it can be a good idea to talk with a trusted adult in your life about starting therapy if you’re finding that these feelings stick around, feel hard to handle, or just to get some more support – lots of people go to therapy and it can be a great resource to have at times like this!

You mentioned that sometimes you have suicidal feelings as well – thank you for reaching out to ask about this, doing that shows a lot of courage. When you’re feeling suicidal or thinking of hurting yourself, it’s really important to reach out to an adult you trust and let them know how you’re feeling. You can also reach out to Crisis Text Line at any time, 24/7, by texting 741-741 to get free support from a trained volunteer Crisis Counselor. If you prefer to talk on the phone or by online chat, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 and https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.