With all the pressure from being a young adolescent, and depending on their choices now for the road of adulthood, mental disorders increase for these young souls. From depressions to anxieties, about half of the US’ teens suffer from these crippling disorders, and suicide being the third leading cause of death from adolescents aging from 13-19. Teenagers, stereo typically, are supposed to go out, make memories with friends, get their hearts broken, living life to the fullest, as it’s supposed to be one of the golden ages as you live. Conflicting, being a teenager has become one of the best and worst times in life. These mental disorders are changing the life of a teenager, as pressure to go to college, getting outstanding grades, and being able to overcome adult responsibilities the second they walk off with that diploma they earned for their overall GPA of a 3.5 throughout high school, when they go out with friends once a month, or hardly at all, due to them constantly drowning in homework, and having a couple of hours to recollect, spend time with family and friends, they’re losing sleep, and killing themselves from the horrors of life.However, this could change, if they knew how to take care of themselves.

One thing that drastically increases the risks for anxieties and depression, is that these kids don’t love themselves, or don’t know how. The first step to learning how to take care of yourself is to love yourself. Loving yourself, can be hard to achieve, but being happy with what you’ve done and brushing away the negativity can be adapted over time, if you put yourself in that mindset. Leaving things in the past, rather than dwelling in it, you have to learn to move on as life continues, so many things are going to happen. Love yourself, put yourself first, care for yourself, you have to learn how to do these things with yourself before passing these feelings to another human. Being happy with who you are, is so important, you have this one life to live, and no one should spend any second of it unhappy with who they are.

Another thing is to know your limits, know when you’ve had enough. Once you know these limits,you will know when you need to step away from something that can damage you incredibly. It may be hard with school, as it does get overwhelming at times, although the best thing to do is schedule out time you spend on school work, and give yourself breaks in between assignments.  You should always find time to get away from the things that pressure or tire you. It’s healthy to take a break sometimes, knowing your limits can help you find the time to take a break. As it refreshes the mind, and you can gradually find happiness in other activities, or you could discover something you’re talented about. One thing I really enjoy doing when I’ve had enough, is going for a walk, not in the middle of the day, or when it’s pitch black outside, I enjoy going for a walk with music in my ears, as the sun is setting. Getting enough sleep is also important, getting too much sleep or too little can really mess with your mental stability and being tired more than usual can risk depression.

Another step is to talk to someone when you need someone to support or comfort you. Whether it be with a close friend or relative, or even to yourself. Writing your feelings and thoughts can be really relieving. As emotions and thoughts build up, it can really affect how you go on with your days, and they can gradually build up. If you need to cry about something, let it all out, do not be afraid to shed some tears when needed, every human being will feel pain, and every human being will cry. Don’t let all these feelings build up, let it out when needed, otherwise the weight of them will build up, and you will be holding in too much, just as a balloon, you will pop. Do not be afraid to feel, do not be afraid to want, you are human, just as everyone else. Everyone has gone through the horrors of emotions, and you will also.

Taking care of yourself is one of the most difficult tasks a human can achieve, but once you start it will become easier to continue. Finding your escape from your mind is difficult, but you will find your light in the darkness. Be cautious, and if you find yourself being at risk for any mental disorders, I recommend you to talk to someone about it, find help. There is nothing wrong with you, finding help is incredibly important, as mental illness is becoming more and more of a problem, and it’s continuing to go unnoticed. Know to take care of yourself, for the sake of your mental health.