Inside a Teen's Mind

The awareness and the importance of a healthy mindset is skyrocketing every day. With all this being said, a healthy mindset of teens is often avoided or ignored, often paired with statements like “Oh you are just a child you don't have anything to worry about.” or “Wait till you reach my age, you will learn the harsh truths of the world.”. But people don't realize the type of mental stress that students/teenagers go through each day.

The idea of having nothing much to do other than studying is an understatement, although it's not like having to juggle between professional, family life along with financial expenditure like the adults do. The pressure, expectations that we face are equivalent to those of an adult but often our problems are overlooked.

The pressure of being able to choose their career at the age of 16-17; the pressure of attaining good grades, being proactive, getting into the top universities, having to work in a respectable position earning money to live comfortably. Yes, to stand out, to be leaders, to be unique and one of a kind in a crowd of thousands is difficult. Our parents want what is best for us but unconsciously they are putting this pressure on us to do well and our mental health is often overlooked. They put weights of high expectations, pressure on our shoulders without realizing it.

When you get into the university you want to be able to bag the job you have always wanted. Oftentimes, the most pressure we feel is from our family and external surroundings, feeling as if our love from others is conditional based on our success. However, in feelings of insecurity as a result of this, we must remind ourselves that we are not a product of our achievements, our achievements are a product of us!

Along with these achievements though, comes the unbelievably high standards sourced from social media - where everything is all rainbows and unicorns. Being successful at 13 or 18 is appreciated whereas being successful at 50 or 60 goes unrecognised. Being able to fit into size 2 or 0 are fantasised and having a size 10 or above body with stretch marks, muffin tops, body hair etc is frowned upon. And since we use our mobiles, laptops, pads every day these ideas are finally registered into our minds.

When these pressures grow and we begin drowning into slumps of unhealthy behaviour, our health is often overlooked by us, and those surrounding us. The only way to dismantle these expectations of constant perfection is to have conversations with others about mental health and its significance in development. Not only that, but we must all confront our unhealthy behaviour and introspect within how we feel about mental health ourselves, and how we may sometimes overlook this.

If you were to ask me which stage of life would have the most unhealthy mindset. I would boldly say that of a teenager. Why? I think the reasons I have listed would be replaying in your head now.

For a positive and healthy mindset, being able to connect with people, especially those you trust the most is the most essential thing to overcome our fears and insecurities. Giving yourself time to heal from the storm you just endured and allowing yourself to focus on your physical health. Being able to realize one’s mental health itself is a start at maintaining a healthy mindset. By doing so an individual has been able to reach a state of self-realization. The power that self-realization holds is enormous. There are times where you find comfort and the warmth that you have been longing for in family, friends or even a complete stranger or maybe a piece of paper and pen. The most important thing to keep in mind is to allow yourself to be more open with someone or essentially yourself so that you don’t emotionally exhaust yourself. When you feel like you are emotionally exhausted, then it is time to seek advice from professionals. It is completely normal to have visits for professional help, your mental health should be given more importance just like your physical health than the social stigma behind seeking professional help.

Avantika Rajesh 12 E