Dealing with depression and going to school at the same time is a challenge for anyone. It’s easy to feel like no one understands what you’re going through. In fact, however, lots of teenagers have successfully completed school while being treated for depression. There are some strategies you can use to help yourself keep everything together.

This should be someone who is at school every day and whom you feel comfortable talking to about very personal things. This person should be someone who knows (or you can tell) about your depression. They don’t have to be a teacher or counselor – the custodian, bus driver, lunch lady or anyone else you feel connected to can be your go-to person.

There are two reasons to have a go-to person. The first is that having someone you feel connected to can help you keep feelings of not being loved at bay. Everyone wants to feel like they have a friend, and this trusted adult can be a steady, supportive friendship for you.

The second reason is in case of a crisis. When you feel like the world is falling down on you, you don’t want to have to start from scratch and explain everything to someone new. If you’ve already established a good rapport with an adult, you can turn to them for support and they’ll already have some idea of what is going on.

It is really important, however, that your go-to person be an adult. Kids your own age may seem like a more comfortable choice, but they don’t have the life experience and perspective that an adult does. They also may not know how to help you in a serious crisis, and they can sometimes be fickle. With an adult, there’s less of an expectation that you will be there for them – they can just be there for you.

If you’re dealing with depression, it’s easy to put assignments off, stay up too late and otherwise lose control of your day. Having a daily schedule that you stick to religiously can help you structure your time so you feel more productive. It can also help you get enough sleep as best as you can.

Know the warning signs of your mood getting worse. Look back on the last time you were in particularly bad shape – what were the signals as it was happening? Make a plan for what you will do the next time you see those signals. Who will you talk to? Who will you tell? Where can you go? Who can help?

If suicide is an issue for you, make sure you have the phone number of a crisis hotline with you at all times. You may also want to carry a card in your wallet that simply reads, “I am thinking about killing myself. Please help me.” Those can be hard words to say, but if you give your card to a trusted adult they can and will help.

High School students often have a million different things going on at once. Between class assignments, extra-curriculars, sports, family obligations, and outside activities, every minute can be packed.

Remember that not everything on your “to do” list is equally important. When you start to feel overwhelmed, start by writing down everything that’s you need to do, big of small. Next, mark the ones that you have to do today. These should only be things that you truly can’t put off. These are your “musts.”

Next, mark the things that you probably should get done today, but the world won’t end if they don’t get done. These are your “shoulds.” Next up, those things that are going to need to get done, but not today. These are “laters.” Next, mark those that you really would like to do, your “wants.”

Finally, and this can be really hard, mark those things that are on the list only because other people want you to do them, but are not important in the grand scheme of things. These might be things your friends want you to do, or something your family is guilting you into that really doesn’t matter. These are your “maybe nots.”

Now, on a new piece of paper, make a new list. This list should begin with your musts, followed by your shoulds. In the right hand column, write your wants. Put your laters and maybe nots on the back.

Your goal each day is just to get through your musts. If you can do that, you’re good. If you can do some shoulds, even better. However, if you have to choose between getting your shoulds done and getting some of your wants, do at least one want. You are important, and your needs are important too.

Between your parents, your doctor or therapist, your go-to adult and various other people in your life, you have a lot of people who can help you. They won’t know how you’re feeling unless you tell them, so make sure you do. Don’t be afraid to say you’re doing worse if that’s really true.

Some families have their own ways of talking about this that is more comfortable for them, such as creating a mood scale from 1 to 10 (e.g. “Mom, I’m feeling 3 today”) or “I’m having one of my episodes.” Whatever works to help you talk to the adults in your life will work just fine.