WORRIED SICK

Students face a lot of pressure from school, assignments and examinations. However, sometimes it can be overwhelming and may have serious harmful effects on them. In my photo essay, I am highlighting this issue through my brother. He’s taking his A levels very soon and it’s very apparent that the stress of it is eating him up. His table is messy and disorganized. It feels almost claustrophobic. This cluttered desk is a physical manifestation of the chaotic feeling that my brother is going though right now. There is also a pile of medication on his desk, most of them are for headaches, and some were obtained through faking illnesses just to get an MC for skipping class. There is also a receipt for a counselling service he visited to cope with the stress. These photos take you through his mental state and poor way of coping, which is to neglect whatever burden that’s on his desk. He resorts to playing his guitar, or to lie down on his bed, a form of escapism from the reality he doesn’t want to face. Some people may find this situation very relatable and normal, but I do hope that it isn’t so. I don’t think this level of stress is helpful to students at all. In fact, I hope we start to question the education system and how it affects the mental health of students.