Holy moly is it ever hard to be a teenager. Many will agree and I’d be quite surprised if they didn’t. Very few can testify to having an easy time in high school; academic wise, friendship wise and family wise as well. Teenagers each day go through mental, emotional and some physical challenges that are overwhelmingly difficult to deal with. I believe we are never given more than we can handle but through these hard experiences we learn a lot about ourselves. In high school, everyone in some way is searching for themselves, experimenting with different things, figuring out what they enjoy and what they don't, and most importantly who they want to become after leaving high school. The main difficulty is the feeling that we are not ________ enough. Not pretty enough, not popular enough, not smart enough, not fast enough, not GOOD enough.. It is so important recognize the positive things about yourself because you are enough, and you do not need to change in any way in order to be enough. Many individuals undergo this battle, and a clip from TedTalk shone light on this as well. Unfortunately there are so many factors that play a role in one's journey of discovery and often what youth lose is there sense of staying true to who they are and who they want to be. For myself I have found highschool to be one of the most challenging experiences I have been through because of this aspect. A few years ago after spending a summer away volunteering at a summer camp, I really had time to reflect on my life and learn more about myself. Coming home that summer I decided that I wanted to follow God and to start attending church and a youth group. This was a very big adjustment for my family and friends who do not share the same views as me. Entering back into my community, my school, and my friend groups, I found it exceptionally difficult to pursue the path that I wanted to follow amongst those who were close minded to my decision to become christian. This is still something I struggle with on a daily basis but I have grown in my faith through these hard moments as I have been challenged to continue staying true to myself even when it feels like I am super alone. This is only my example though and for others it may be something completely different, but I believe that we all have difficulties in high school, to stay true to our morals, our beliefs and our values. Staying true to myself hasn’t been easy as I have become distant with some of my friends, I have had conflicts with my family and I have felt quite alone at school as I am now considered different. However, staying true to what I believe in and how I want to live my life has been the most rewarding thing. I have learned more about myself, my faith and who I want to be and through it all I have been able to influence others through these experiences. A few key things to remember are:
Although my story is different than others, the tips that I have used in staying true to myself through high school, may be relatable to others who are exhibiting similar difficulties. Being a teenager in general with the everyday challenges of being yourself in your friend group, being yourself on a sports team or in a club etc. is extremely difficult, especially when facing everyday challenges. But discovering who you are and who you want to be is crucial to living a lifestyle with authenticity and originality. Do not be afraid to make mistakes but learn from them and learn more about yourself. You are you and you should embrace everything that makes you yourself. You are incredible just the way you are.
-Emily C
11 Comments
Kat
12/10/2018 10:44:23 am
wow, I can relate so much to this blog. highschool is super challenging especially when you're also dealing with the other challenges of being a teenager but it's super important to know that you aren't alone and to just take it one day at a time. great job!
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Kassidy
12/10/2018 10:45:31 am
I really agree with the fact that’s its hard being a teenager. My high school expericience has been a rocky road. Staying true to who you are or want to be is good, because it shows who you true friends are, I have lost friends over the years and the ones I have now are the ones that stuck with me and like me for me, and they don’t try to change me.
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marika
12/10/2018 10:45:38 am
i really love this blog because i feel everyone had gone through this crazy change through out our lives everyone has not felt good enough or not pretty enough.and i loved how out there u were with your own story to
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Anna Robinson
12/10/2018 10:46:59 am
This was such a great blog! Converting your faith can be scary but I am so happy that you were able to find strength in who you are, and who you want to become, to help you through that tough time. Your blog gave me a friendly reminder to not forget who I am and to only please myself, not others.
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Martin Gao
12/10/2018 10:47:40 am
Sometime our true selves can be unaccepted by the society but that doesn’t mean we are wrong nor we have to change ourself.
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Connor
12/10/2018 10:49:19 am
I can really connect to this blog. In an environment like high school I find it really hard to be myself and find myself envious of those who (seem) to be 100% themselves, and those who seem to thrive within high school with academics and such. It's hard for people to stay true to themselves because in a high school environment it's easy to judge others for doing something that you're not, which is being true to themselves. For those graduating, people like to judge based on what schools you have applied to and what programs you want to major in. I know i've been judged for the school I want to go to and it sucks, but you have to be confident in what you want and stop worrying about what people think.
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Kai
12/10/2018 10:51:16 am
We know that always be myself is good; at the same time, we know that it is the hardest things. This topic is always makes me a lot way of thinking! Good Blog Emily!
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Janeva
12/10/2018 10:53:16 am
This is super inspiring! Good on you for taking your OWN path and not blindly stepping the prints of others. Sometimes, it is difficult to do something different, especially if your family is not accustomed to it. I am religious, and often, I find it difficult to relate with others, especially teenagers who have different values and may not be followers of my religion/faith.
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Ross
10/6/2020 02:20:11 pm
This blog is masterfully written. So many people can relate to the struggles which you explained. I am personally blessed to be part of an extremely accepting and diverse friend group. However this does not excuse me from judgement for others, so I understand that staying true to yourself is the only way to preserve your unique identity and character. Im glad you wrote about something that not only is an important value but a struggle that everyone experiences. Bravo!
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Kaysey
10/6/2020 02:25:52 pm
Hi Emily. I loved everything you mentioned in your blog and found it very relatable. It is definitely not easy to stay true to yourself, especially during your teen years when you are surrounded by constant hormonal and judgemental people. Though the feeling is a shitty one, going through these emotions/ experiences I believe is essential to personal growth. Finding what you enjoy, surrounding yourself by different people to discover who makes you happy and makes you feel like your true self. I myself am still experimenting with discovering my true identity and struggle on the DAILY with this process. Glad to hear your experience. Very inspiring !
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Cole
10/6/2020 02:49:37 pm
I can totally relate to this blog because I feel like I'll be judged for certain things or the way I act at school. Although I think the main problem is that its all in my head and I think people will care a lot more than they actually do.
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