I started college in January 2023 and have completed three semesters so far. 2023 has been an extremely difficult year for me. Lots of health problems and hospitalizations (which triggered my PTSD), and I’m just exhausted. I barely made it through Fall semester and am honestly shocked that I didn’t fail any classes. Now I’m registered for the spring semester (starts January 16th) and am absolutely dreading it. I’m exhausted and burnt out, plus I’ll likely be getting surgery soon.

I’m considering taking a break and starting again in Fall 2024, but my family is giving me shit. It’s just making me feel like such a failure and I keep thinking maybe I should stay in school and not take a break. But I honestly don’t know if I can do it. My mental health is shit and I have no energy, but I don’t know. Is taking a break really that bad? My family is making it seem like it’s the worst thing in the world. Maybe they’re right, I don’t know :(