Teen Problems

The number one problem facing teenagers is stress.  Teenagers stress over school, family problems, relationships, and their identities. Most adults always say, “Teenage years were the best years of your life!”  However, they left out all of the hardships that came along with being a teenager. Personally, I think that being a teenager is one of the hardest phases to go thorough in life. Not only are teens stressing out over grades in school, but they stress over finding themselves, home/family problems, and even relationship problems.

This chart shows how many students feel pressured to improve their grades.

According to SmartGirl’s report on Peer Pressure, most students feel pressured to improve their grades. High school students are not only stressed over perfect grades for College, but most have to satisfy their parents as well. They have to try and balance out their life with school, family, work, and possibly a relationship. Eventually, it all becomes too much to handle. As many as 1 in every 33 children may have depression; in teens, that number may be as high as 1 in 8 (Understanding Depression).

Teenage years are also considered the hardest years to go through in life because it is when most teens are trying to find themselves. Girls especially have a problem with this. Since society portrays that you have to be skinny in order to fit in, they think that they have to be a size zero or a size two. This is one example out of a million. Teens also feel stressed to give into peer pressure with drugs, alcohol, and sex. Some even have the constant stress of home problems, whether it is their parents going through a divorce, physical or mental abuse, the death of a loved one, etc.  

In order to help prevent stress, teachers should start taking into consideration how much work they are giving their students. I understand that they have to teach a certain amount of work by the end of the school year, but they need to step back and look how much they are giving their students. Also, parents should take into consideration how their children are feeling. It’s good for teenagers to have that reassurance that they can talk to. Teenagers should also just try to relax sometimes; that would help a lot. They are so stressed out about everything that they don’t take the time to worry about themselves.

http://www.stress-management-for-peak-performance.com/teen-stress.html

http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/understanding_depression.html

http://www.smartgirl.org/reports/1866433.html

http://www.livewelllivelong.com/Depression%20children%20incidence%20prevention.html

What Makes You Come Alive?

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't think long and hard about this question. However, thinking about it now, I realize that I have definitely been over-thinking it. What makes me come alive? There are many things that makes me come alive, the main one being faith. Having faith in God is the only thing that keeps me going in life; it is what lets me know that life is real. Every day, there are bad things that happen, but getting through those things is a lot easier with God. There are some days in this world where I feel completely numb and worthless, but it is God that brings me hope; He is the reason that I am alive. I have mentioned in one of my blogs before that faith is what saved me and I wasn't exaggerating. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My faith is my motivation in life. When everyone else walks out of my life, God doesn’t and He never will. His love for me is unconditional, just as my love for Him is.

Music also makes me come alive; it is my passion. I love when I listen to a song and it explains exactly how I feel.  It doesn’t matter if I’m happy, upset or even just giggly… there’s always a song for it. It’s amazing to me how one song can sum up the way that I’m feeling. When I am feeling at my most vulnerable, I turn to music. It expresses my feelings in a way that nothing else can; it’s my release from all the troubles of life.

Another thing that makes me come alive is seeing others happy. There is nothing that I love more than seeing other people happy, especially my loved ones. Not only that, but I love making people happy. I don’t care how unhappy I am because seeing others joyful is enough for me. Just seeing two people happy together in a grocery store pleases me; it’s the small things that I enjoy. I love the smile that my one and a half year old cousin gives me when I chase her around the living room and I love seeing how happy my Grandma is when all of our family is together. Moments like that are what I live for. They make life worth living. 

Fraction Friends?

“You’re the average of the five people that you spend the most time with.” –Jim Rohn

I agree with this statement made by Jim Rohn. If you think about it, the people that we spend the most time with really do have an effect on us. How can they not? There are unique and special things that I love about each and every single person in my life. Choosing the five people that I spend the most time with is so hard for me, mainly because of the fact that I have such a huge family and the fact that I could probably write about my entire band class. I have tried to narrow it down though. 

Mama and Deddy: Of course, being my parents, I spend the most time with my Mama and Deddy. Most people say that I am a spitting image of my Deddy, with the way I look and the way I act. There is never a day that he doesn't have a smile on his face and even in the worst of situations, he tries to find the good. As for my Mama, I definitely got my loudness from her. The thing that I envy most about my Mama is her selflessness. No matter how bad things are for her, she always puts everyone else first. Together, they have taught me to always treat others with respect and to treat everyone equally. Not only that, but they have taught me to keep a strong faith no matter how hard life gets and to always trust that God has a plan.

Justina: Being six years apart, my sister and I didn't really become all that close until last year. I have learned so much from my her. She has such adamant strength and no matter how many times life knocks her down, she just keeps getting right back up; that's what I admire most about her. I don't care how bad the situation is, she always keeps going. I hope that I can be half the person that my sister is one day.

Kimberly: Kimberly is my first cousin, but she has always been more like a sister to me. She has a heart of gold and she would do anything for anyone. She has always been like a role model to me. Even when I was little, I always looked up to her. She has always taught me to always stay true to myself, no matter what others think. I can definitely say that I got my bluntness and sarcasm from her. She has always been the type of person that is straightforward. She tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear; that is one of the things that I love most about her.

Grandma: My Grandma is one of the most kindhearted people that you will ever meet. Even though she can be stubborn as a mule and just plain out hard-headed sometimes, I wouldn't have it any other way. My Mama and Aunt Debbie definitely got their selflessness from my Grandma. She always worries about other people, so much that she forgets to worry about herself most of the time. Although she is very opinionated at times, she means well. My Grandma is such a strong person and she is  a huge part of he reason why I am who I am.

Peyton: Peyton is my best friend. She is not afraid to speak her mind and is one of the most caring people that you will ever meet. She is the type of person that you can trust with absolutely anything. She has taught me that sometimes it's okay to lean on other people and that I don't have to handle everything on my own. I don't care what it is, she is always there for me in a heartbeat. She and her family are like a second family to me. As corny as it sounds, she has taught me the true meaning of friendship. She is always there when I need her, and so are Hannah and Myranda. All three of them are so down to earth and I love the fact that I can act like a complete idiot and they still love me. Hannah always makes everything better with one word. Even on my worst days, she makes me smile. I love our friendship because we are always so sarcastic with each other. Myranda, or cutie as I like to call her, is the most care-free and unique. I love how she is her own person and how she never cares of what others think. Just having her around is great because she is always there to listen to whatever you have to say. Peyton, Hannah, and Myranda are my best friends and they always will be; it's simple as that.

Ms. Wright: I realize that I have went well over my limit of five people to talk about, but I just couldn't help myself. Ms. Wright, you have made such a huge impact on my life this year. Do you know why? Because you care, and you don't just act like you care, you actually do. That means more than you'll ever know. You have taught me that it's okay to be myself and that I shouldn't care about what others think of me. I really do think that you and I share the same brain sometimes because you understand everything that I say. I honestly don't know what I would do if I had never met you.

Although I am my own person, each of these people make up apart of me. Whether it be Kimberly's sarcasm, Grandma's stubbornness, or my Mama's loudness.  I know that God has put all of these people in my life for a certain reason. They all mean the world to me and I think that it has made me a better because being around them has shaped me into the person that I am and the person that I want to become. 

Are Our Fears Rational?

There is not a single person in this world that is fearless. We all have fears that have at some point in our lives pushed us to our limit. Some of us fear heart-break, while some of us fear love. Some of us fear starvation, while some of us fear becoming over-weight. We may not all fear the same thing, but we all fear something, whether it is something big or small; it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a fear. I think that most people’s fears are rational. Who am I to say that they aren’t? We all fear the things that we fear for specific reasons. However, just because we fear things doesn’t mean that we should let these things take over our lives. Then again, that is a lot easier said than done.

Like every other person, I have fears too. The thing that I fear most in this world is losing my loved ones. Unfortunately, my worst fear came true. I know that I will see them again one day in Heaven, but just the thought of them not being here with me kills me. It still scares me to know that I could lose more of the people that I love. Not only that, but I fear that someone will hurt my loved ones. Seems like a pretty stupid fear, right? I mean everyone eventually winds up getting hurt, but I can’t stand seeing my loved ones in pain. If I could, I would take all the pain for them. You see, my fears seem rational to me, but they may not seem rational to other people. Of course, those aren’t all of my fears. I fear other things as well, but those things still seem rational to me too. I have a reason for each of my fears, just as others have reasons for each of theirs.

If you think about it, nothing deserves our fear. You are the only one that can decide that for yourself though. A lot of things don’t deserve fear, but that doesn’t stop us from fearing. It’s like in the movie Harry Potter when Hermoine and Harry first met Hagrid’s half-brother, Grawp. They were terrified at the huge giant at first because he looked scary, but after seeing that he was no threat and that he was actually really nice, they understood that they had nothing to fear. We all fear things in this world, but how we handle them are up to us. We can let them take over our lives or we can stand up and confront them and take a chance because if you live your life in fear, then you really aren’t living at all.

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”

So many of us come up with excuses as to why we can’t do something. Truth of the matter is, most of us could do something about it, but we choose not to. If you really want something in life, then what are you waiting for? If it’s something that you really want, then you will do something about it. If you don’t, then you must not really want it that bad.

“Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.”

We may not know it now, but every moment in our lives, good or bad, big or small, is leading us to a moment that we’ve been waiting for. We all become frustrated with things, I know that I do. When I’m in school, I just keep thinking to myself “why do I study when it gets me nowhere” or “why do I even try”. The only thing that keeps me going is to know that one day it will all pay off. I’ve made it this far, I can’t give up now.

“There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without but have to let go.”

Although we don’t want certain things to happen in life, they still do. We don’t have any control, but we do have control over how we handle these situations. Everyone eventually loses someone or something that they never intended to lose. It doesn’t make it fair and it doesn’t make it okay, but its life. Life is a funny thing, isn’t it? At times, it can be the greatest thing and at other times… not so much. Sometimes it brings you up just to knock you down, but its like Dory from Finding Nemo says, “You know what you gotta do when life gets you down? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”

My quotes

“Don’t become so caught up in life itself that you lose yourself.”

Sadly, our world is not all that great.  I don’t even know how to begin to explain our generation. The only thing I have to say to our generation is that you can’t expect others to respect you if you can’t respect yourself. Don’t change yourself just to “fit in” to society because you do not want to be like today’s society- sorry not sorry. A lot of people don’t even notice it, but they begin to lose themselves; don’t be one of them.

“Always fight for what you believe in, even if you’re the only one fighting.”

If you don’t stand up for what you believe in, then you’ll never get anywhere in life. At some point you have to make a stand. You can’t just sit back and expect everything to work out perfectly. If you want to make a change, then go out there and do it; be the change. Even if you’re the only one fighting, at least you fought for what you believed in and you stood your ground. It's like my Granddaddy always told me, "winners never quit and quitters never win."

7 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I Was 15

1.       Don’t ever give up on your faith no matter how hard life gets. – Every single day there are going to be people that let you down, but God will never be one of them. All of my life, I have always tried to keep a strong faith. Now, I truly know that faith is what keeps me going and faith is what saved me. I would be nowhere in life without it.

2.       Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones and never take time with them for granted. – Recently, I have lost two very important people in my life that I never dreamed of losing. It made me realize that I have wasted so much time doing other useless things when I could have spent that time with them. When you lose someone, it makes you realize that your loved ones truly are something to appreciate and you should never take the time with them for granted. I would give anything to talk with my Granddaddy or Aunt Debbie again.

3.       Growing up seems fun, until you actually grow up. – When I was little, I could not wait to grow up. I was so ready to be in high school, get my own car, and have my own house. To be honest, all I want now is for everything to slow down. In two years, I will be out of high school and then I will be out in the real world where so much is expected of me. Nowadays I just wish that I was little again.

4.       Just because you were friends, doesn’t mean that you always will be. – I really wish that someone had told me this advice earlier. As I have grown up, I have learned who is really there for me and who never really was.  It’s weird. When you’re younger you think that you and one person will be best friends forever, and for some people that may be the case. All in all, I ended up with some great friends and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

5.       Don’t ever change yourself to be “accepted into society.” – Someone, somewhere is never going to accept you. You could be the nicest person in the world and someone is still going to find something wrong with you. The person you are is the person you are meant to be. God made you the way you are for a reason and if other people don’t like that then too bad.

6.       If you have family, then you have everything and more. – My family has been through heck and back this year. Things happened this year that I would have never dreamed in my worst nightmares. One good thing came out of all of this though… it made my family stronger. My whole family is already close-knit, but we really became close this year. When everyone else walks out, family doesn't. They are always there for you. 

7.       Always believe in yourself no matter what the circumstances are. –In life, there are always going to be people that want you to have low self-esteem about yourself and people who don’t want to see you succeed. The best way to get back at those people is to prove them wrong. Become successful and work hard, because it will take you far and it does pay off in the end.  

The Unexpected

I knew that I should've done something, anything, but I couldn’t move. It was like I was on a roller coaster ride that couldn’t stop. Everything around me was spinning and all I heard was screaming. I heard my name being called over and over, but my feet wouldn’t react. I tried to yell for help, but no words were coming out. All I could see was my best friend trapped inside the house of flames and a bright light that kept getting brighter and brighter. Next thing I knew, it went completely black.

Astounded, my eyes flew open. “Oh, thank goodness,” I thought, “it was all just a dream.” I woke up to get ready for another long day of work at the hospital, trying to shake the nerves of the dream off.  Once I got to work I tried to call Jake to wish him a happy birthday, but he wasn’t picking up. “Hm,” I thought, “maybe he’s still sleeping.” I went about the rest of my day waiting for Jake to call back, but he never did. When lunch time came, I decided to go see him since he wasn’t returning my calls. When I got inside, all of the lights were out and there wasn’t a person in sight.

As I drove back to work, I tried not to worry. “He’s probably just out with some friends or something,” I thought. When I got back to the hospital, I looked over the list of patients. I was reading through the list when all of a sudden I dropped the clipboard and fell to my knees.  There on the paper in black print said “Jacob D. Crews.” Suddenly, I realized the dream wasn’t a dream. It was all true.