At what moment did you feel like you had to „grow up“ and be an adult?

I feel like I’ve had to start growing up quite young, help take care of my sister and do a lot on my own. As a child I spent most of my time with my grandparents rather than with my parents, so after they passed away, a lot changed for me. I’ve struggled a lot with depression from when I was a pre-teen untill not too long ago. I’ve always felt like I couldn’t quite really talk about a lot with my parents, so I grew to be a shy kid that was very much turned towards himself. For many years I struggled with my feelings, sexuality and feeling extremely alone. Going from highschool to college changed some of these things for me, I made a few friends that I’ve grown to love and trust, but because of covid-lockdowns I still felt quite alone. I started feeling like things were going to get better, but then something bad happened and I felt like I was at the absolute lowest I had ever been. Since the covid restrictions were mostly lifted towards the end of 2021, my mental health has gotten better, but I still feel like I have a toxic feeling around Antwerp. Coming on exchange to Rotterdam has done the most for me. Getting my own place, meeting new people and making my own decisions. I’ve never felt this mentally well before, I feel like I’ve grown so much since moving here.

Deniz, 20