Teens Need A Support System

As teens, we have it hard sometimes. Like everyone, we constantly have something going on. But unlike everyone, no one often understands us, and we don’t want to talk to anyone about what’s really happening. Because if we do, we get torn down for it.

Teens can be cruel to each other. Adults are mature, so they can have a deep conversation without tearing each other down. But teens are scared that if they admit they’re insecure, they’ll get ripped apart by those around them. 

The amount of bullying and degrading that happens to teens through their peers/classmates, friends, foes, and family members is crazy. It’s too much for one person to handle, especially because most teens have no support system.

Often, there’s no one we can talk to. When this happens, we bottle up our feelings, start overthinking things, and start constantly critiquing ourselves. We become unsatisfied. Unsatisfied with who we are and what we have accomplished. We’re always seeking the approval of those around us, trying to fit in.

We don’t have the confidence that adults do in themselves. We don’t have the innocence and disregard for society that little kids do either. So, we create an image of ourselves that’s unloveable, unworthy, useless, or just isn’t enough. 

But when we have someone we can relate to, someone who shares the same struggles as us, we start to feel a little better. We start to feel a chunk of the pressure coming off. We start to feel that we aren’t alone in the world and that someone finally understands us. Just having someone can go a long way in helping a teen with their self-image.

So, as teenagers, we need to help each other through our struggles. Parents and adults can also make an impact by hearing us out. By letting us just say what we need to say without interjecting.

We need to build a community. A safe space where people can just be themselves. Because that's what is truly beautiful. Not the impossible standards that are shoved in our faces and are constantly bringing us down.