Suicide is an often-avoided subject. Maybe it’s because of the hypocritical stigma that most relate it with, or maybe it’s because people are trying to avoid feeling guilty.

Either way, it’s avoided.

A friend of mine recently committed suicide.

It’s a weird slap to the face, knowing that someone you know was so unhappy with their life that they took it away from themselves. It’s a cold way to wake up to reality. But that’s for another day. Today, I wanted to share my opinions on one of the things mentioned in my friend’s “note” – school, specifically high school.

One of the leading reasons for suicide in the US is stress accumulated from school. And. It. Has. Got. To. Stop

High school is a difficult time, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar. The hormones, the breakups, and the gossip. The homework, the sports teams, the mean people who won’t talk to you, and the group projects that you end up doing all by yourself. The jocks who don’t acknowledge your existence, the teachers who don’t “get” you, and the advanced classes you wish you never took. It’s all just… exhausting.

You finish school at 3, some don’t get home from practice till 7, others go to work, and others wish they actually had the time to be able to stay at school. Yet you’re still expected to eat, shower, and have some sort of social life, on top of the five hours of homework you are expected to have done by the next day.

You’re under constant pressure. With your PSAT’s, ACT’S, SAT’S AP’S, IB’S and your GPA. You have to be on top of everything and still maintain your sanity.

Everyone around you expects greatness. The pressure of perfection, the expectation of full rides, the belief that if we fail now, we will fail forever. They push and push until they can’t push anymore. Until you can’t take it anymore. And all this is doing is creating stressed out teenagers. And it’s hard. We lose the game of life, and we haven’t even started.

Under the school pressures, the family pressures, the societal pressures, and the normal teen angst, it’s no wonder people crack.

At some point along the way, we weren’t allowed to be kids anymore. It’s as if they’ve forgotten that we’re just human. We need to slow down, before it’s too late. We’re being forced to grow up too soon, and we’re losing people because of it.

High school is not the best four years of our lives. High School does not decide your fate. It’s not what decides what job you’re going to have, or when you’ll fall in love, or when you’ll have babies, or when you’ll retire.

High school is high school, and often times, it just sucks. Being a teenager is hard. It’s probably one of the hardest things you’ll experience. But when you get through it, when you learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others, you’ll realize it was worth it.

Life gets better, and that’s something we should never forget.

If something is wrong and you need help or you know someone else who does, don’t hesitate to call this number:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255