Don’t Let Your Insecurities Stop You From Living Your Teen Years
Your teenage years are a weird and wonderful time in your life. You are figuring out who you are and you have a little bit more freedom to do things you enjoy and try out new things.
While a lot of people deem them the best years of your life, the reality is they can often be an awkward few years. Many teens experience anxiety and low-self-esteem during their teen years. Issues with confidence and self-esteem can cause you to hide away and not take opportunities even if you would have liked to.
If you feel like this is something you are currently experiencing and are worried you are missing out because of self-esteem issues here are some tips on how to give your teen years your best shot despite having anxieties!
Think of The Big Picture
A lot easier said than done as it is completely normal to want to stick to your comfort zone during your teen years, but try and think about the bigger picture of life! Think of your 80 year old self looking back on your teen years and what would look like teen years well spent to them.
Think of the things you want to do or experience during these years and make your best efforts to experience those things. Try to do this despite what your friends might or might not be doing. A common reason people have regrets about their teen years is they stuck to what their friends did and don’t try to go and experience things they would like to themselves. Not an easy thing to do but definitely worth while! Put your best foot forward and always keep the bigger picture in mind!
Challenge Yourself To Move Outside of Your Comfort Zone
Our comfort zone is a great place to be but unfortunately nothing ever grows there! Getting stuck in our comfort zone is what ultimately leads to regrets later on in life. Try recognise what things you are holding back on doing because it threatens your level of comfort. Obviously as long as it is safe!
The more you leave your comfort zone the more you will get used to it. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable will be an incredible skill you can take with you through life as well.
Mix With As Many People As You Can During Your Teen Years
While it is nice to have your friends group try make an effort to make some friends outside of your core group. As you go through life you will make and lose different friends. Your teen years are a great way of finding out who the type of people you want in your life are. The best way to find this out? Get mingling!
It will also give you great people skills for life. You will click with some people more than others and that is perfectly normal. Use the time to see who it is you get on with best. It will also stop you missing out on certain things that you might want to do just because your core friends group doesn’t want to do those things.
Remember People Will Love You For You
While you might notice your spots or baby fat, the people around you aren’t focusing on that. I for one couldn’t even look at a boy during my teen years for fear they would reject me because of that spot on my chin. Looking back it was so silly because they definitely wouldn’t have been focusing on that.
Don’t miss out on the chance of forming relationships and making new friends for fear they will reject you for something to do with your appearance. The truth is they probably won’t even notice and if someone doesn’t want to be friends with you because of your appearance then they aren’t worth having in your life anyway.
So, try not to put yourself down and walk with confidence. Every time you hear that voice in your head telling you someone won’t like you or want to talk to you because of the way you look, stop it in its tracks and keeping walking with confidence. A bit of an easier thing to say than do but with a bit of practice you’ll be killing it in no time!
Your teen years can be hard but try not to let your insecurities stop you from experiencing the things you would like to! If you are struggling navigating through your teen years remember they are short and while they can be fun and exciting, there is so much life once they are over as well!
So, embrace your insecurities, put one foot in front of the other and give these years your best shot!