«I felt like I was in a bubble»

For Sandra, 17, a disabled care trainee, the worst pressure is having to be like everyone else. This has brought her to the edge of her strength, robbing her of her zest for life and sleep.

"Towards the end of primary school, I suddenly became a target: I was being picked on. Maybe it was because of my weight or my quiet nature. I don't know. In any case, I was told every day that I was weird, not like the others, a nothing. This went on for two years. I reacted by withdrawing. I didn't have the strength to talk to my parents, I reacted irritably when they tried. I couldn't sleep, was nervous and tired. I felt like I was in a bubble, enveloped in sadness. Suicidal thoughts accompanied me every day. My parents urged me to seek help. The youth counselling service was a stroke of luck. In sixth form, my life took a turn for the better. I found my best friend at a public school. She taught me to stand up for myself. I was happy until it came to choosing a career. Having to make such a decision at 16 was too much for me. If you go to secondary school, you're constantly told that your future is over at this level anyway. I hope that's not true.

«Anyone who attends secondary school B has to constantly hear that the future is over at this level anyway.»

I still haven't found an apprenticeship, despite hundreds of applications. After secondary school, I started an internship at a home for the disabled. I was thrown in at the deep end. My boss expected me to pitch in like everyone else. But I was slower because the work was physically demanding. The feeling of not being enough gnawed at me. The sadness and nervousness returned and I was afraid that the vicious circle would repeat itself. The boss promised me an apprenticeship. I clung to this hope, but it was dashed: shortly before the end of my internship, I learnt that there was no follow-up solution for me. Thanks to my mum's help, I was able to start an internship in another residential home. I'm blossoming here. I don't just have to work, I also receive guidance. I enjoy the work, but I'm still worried that I won't get a job as a secondary school B graduate with a poor track record. Sometimes I burst into tears out of nowhere. I really want to learn to be a specialist in care for the disabled. If I have to, I'll apply a hundred times again - but not this year. After the internship, I want to go to Australia first and learn English."

Read more:

  • More and more frequently, children as young as twelve are complaining of exhaustion and lack of motivation. What are the reasons? A search for clues.
  • When prolonged stress becomes excessive, the soul burns out: Causes, symptoms and how to find a way out of the crisis.