The Struggle of An IB Student

    As an IB student the pressure is too much to an extent where I felt like giving up so I wrote a short story about how I feel.


    Stacy sat at her desk, staring at the pages in front of her, but nothing seemed to make sense. The words blurred together like a jumbled mess. She tried to focus, tried to push herself, but it felt as though her brain was shutting down. It was like a wall had been built in her mind, and no matter how hard she tried to climb it, the answers were just out of reach.

    "Why is this so hard?" she thought, pressing her fingers to her temples, trying to ease the ache that had been there for days. She had always been a good student, or at least, she used to be. But lately, it felt like she was falling behind. Her grades were slipping, and the weight of everyone’s expectations felt like a heavy burden she couldn’t shake.

    "You can do this, Stacy. You’re smart. You’ve always been smart," she whispered to herself, but the words didn’t feel true. She didn’t feel smart. She didn’t feel capable.

    She pushed her books aside and buried her face in her hands. It had been a long time since she had felt this lost. It wasn’t just the schoolwork. It was everything. The pressure to succeed. The pressure to always be the "strong" one. To always put on a smile, even when inside, she felt like she was falling apart.

    "What if I don’t make it? What if I fail?" The thought haunted her. It wasn’t just about school anymore. It was about everything—her worth, her future, her ability to keep going.

    Stacy had never really known how to talk about her feelings. She wasn’t sure how to explain the weight that had settled in her chest or the sadness that seemed to creep into every part of her life. She had always been the cheerful one, the one who kept it together. But inside, she was a different person—a small girl who just wanted to be loved and understood, not judged.

    "Why does everything feel like a puzzle I can’t solve?" she thought. "Why does it feel like there’s no way out?"

    In that moment, her mind drifted to darker thoughts. She had never understood people who talked about giving up, about ending their lives. She thought they were weak. But now, sitting there, feeling as though she was drowning, she understood. She felt like she had no place in this world. No purpose. Maybe it would be easier if she could just disappear.

    The thought scared her, but it also felt strangely comforting.

    But then, something inside her shifted. Her heart ached as she remembered all the times she had prayed when she felt lost. She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer.

    "God, please help me. I’m not strong anymore. I don’t know how to keep going. I feel like I’m failing everyone. Please, help me."

    There was a long silence, and for a moment, Stacy felt alone. But then, she remembered something her mom had told her: "God is always with you, even when you don’t feel Him. You just have to trust."

    She opened her eyes and let out a shaky breath."I’m not alone," she whispered. "I never was."

    A sense of peace washed over her, though the weight was still there. But now, it felt different. She wasn’t carrying it alone. She didn’t have to do everything by herself. She had her family. She had her faith. She could lean on them when things felt too much.

    She picked up her books again, though she didn’t feel as overwhelmed. She wasn’t going to get everything perfect. She wasn’t going to fix all her problems in one night. But she didn’t have to. She just had to take it one step at a time, and trust that everything would be okay.

    That night, as Stacy lay in bed, she whispered another prayer."God, thank you for being there when I needed you the most. I don’t know why things are so hard, but I know I can make it through. I have so many people who care about me. I have you. And that’s enough."

    And for the first time in a long while, Stacy felt a spark of hope. Maybe life wasn’t going to be easy. Maybe she would face more challenges ahead. But she knew now that she wasn’t alone in her struggles. She had love. She had faith. And she had the strength to keep going, one step at a time.


        Give

        Subscribe to the Daybreak Devotions for Women

        Be inspired by God's Word every day! Delivered to your inbox.


        Editor's Picks