Teenage Years

Teenage Years

By Gia Scott

Instagram @giascott_

Whether you live in suburbia, the inner city, the middle of nowhere or anything in between; its agreed that our teenage years are the most interesting ones. With anything, there are ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ to being a teenager in today’s world.

One of the most appealing thing to teens is social media. There’s thousands of platforms, millions of people to communicate with, and endless things to post. Social media often consumes us, we always find ourselves reaching for our phones in order to stay updated. We feel the need to constantly post, in order to out do our friends. Social media can indeed become toxic, but it gives us so much access to things are parents and grandparents didn’t have. We can remain conscious of social issues, start fundraisers, and find out any information about anything in a matter of seconds. The possibilities are infinite.

While older people may think we have it ‘easy’, we actually do struggle! There’s so much pressure to be successful and to be at the top. Whether that be in school, or a sports team, or finding a career, the seemingly endless opportunities for us can be overwhelming.

During this school year, I found myself often comparing my grades and accomplishments to others. Many young people are left with the impression that we have to constantly succeed. I’ve learned that success is almost never linear. It’s ok to not be good at every subject. It’s ok to not win every game. I’ve discovered that the more negative stress that you put on yourself,  the less likely you are to obtain the results you want.

Our teenage years are meant to be fun & exciting, we have all our lives to stress. Before we know it we’ll have real jobs and families. For now, every teen should focus on being their  best selves. Don’t get caught up on everything you see on social media, take a break! If you’re having trouble in a subject at school, practice! And if you do find yourself stressing find an activity to release it. Unfortunately, we’ll never get these years back, so have fun, stay positive, and never give up.