Hi there, Sean. I’m 24 years old and I honestly have felt the same over the past 2 years or so. It’s not easy when you’re struggling with something only you can see.

First off, I agree – you’re not crazy. Trust yourself and your body. If you feel this way, it means your body is trying to communicate to you that there is a clear problem and that you’ve got to take action. It may not be a physical problem – your mind can sometimes manifest stress into physical symptoms. And yes, sometimes stress, depression, anxiety… they may manifest themselves into serious physical symptoms that cause you to feel like you’re dying.

In my opinion, the way to take action would be to see a therapist if speaking to friends and family isn’t helping. In situations like these, it may not feel like talking about your problems can help, but it can. It may be in the most subtle way – something might spark in your subconscious, or something might finally click and you may feel better.

However you decide to take action from this point forward, please do. Your life is worth saving, and your life is worth living. You’ll be able to find your way out of this, I’m sure of it, and I believe in you. If human beings are anything, we’re resilient – we can make it through incredible adversities. You’ve got this.