“One in four British girls are hit by depression at 14.” How does that make you feel? As a teenager myself, it makes me feel scared, worried and makes me ask ‘why?’ How can I prevent it?
Well, you know what. I want you to smile right now. How does that make you feel right now? It makes me feel good to see myself and others smile. I think teenagers sometimes just need a boost of motivation, happiness and confidence. In today’s article, I will give you some advice and tips according to my own experience and research about how to keep positive, increase confidence and just be happy. Before I get started, remember that these tips can be hard to follow in the beginning but through practice and initiative, you can get there. You can be the happiest person alive.
Smile – Smiling and laughter is the medicine for any pain. It gives you instant recovery and relief. Even a fake smile can make your day.
Don’t compare yourself to anyone – Everyday, teenagers compare themselves to the photoshopped celebrities, friends, models, cousins or even siblings to the point that it makes them break down. Look in the mirror and embrace yourself because you are beautiful.
Meditate/reflect upon yourself – Set aside some time each day to pray to God, meditate or just say positive affirmations to yourself such as ‘I am amazing’.
Do things that you love – This could be cooking, singing, dancing, walking in the park, cuddling up to your pet, anything that makes you happy.
Spend time with people you love and support you – There’s no point of spending your precious time with people who will discourage and bring you down. Try to spend more time with people who will make you laugh like your parents, siblings or your best friends.
Eliminate toxic people – According to studies shown, we spend 80% of the time thinking about 20% of the people we stay with. If you are thinking about people who will belittle you and make you feel insecure about what you are thinking, it is time to leave those friends for good. This may be tough but it will be for your good.
Don’t care about what other people think of you – It is hard to do this when we are surrounded by people all the time. An important step to take and think about is if you yourself are judging others.
Ignore popularity – You don’t become popular by swearing or backbiting, you become popular by being kind and having a sweet personality. If you do see popularity that is by swearing and acting rudely towards others, that is only short-term.
Don’t bottle up your feelings – It may be hard to confess or speak out your emotions but it is important to share your feelings with a trusted adult or person. Tell your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles about anything that you are concerned about. I’m sure they are there to help you.
Ask yourself ‘does it really matter?’ – Whatever you are thinking about right now that is causing you to become upset, just stop and ask yourself if it really matters. Half of the time we worry about things we can’t control or actually doesn’t matter to us.
Understand that you can have low days – It is fine to have low days. You can’t always be happy and you have to understand that. Sometimes, we are sad because we are tired.
Did this article make you smile or at least make you feel 1% better? I hope so. Just remember that there is always hope and if you need any professional medical help, don’t feel afraid to get it. You have support, trust me.
Please check out my other articles:
http://surobiscribbles.com/how-to-prepare-for-eid-ul-fitr-my-ramadan-series/
Thank you for reading and have a lovely day!