Being a teenager in 2024 is hard. Being a teenager in any year is hard. These are really fundamental years when you’re becoming the person you’ll be for the rest of your life. These are the years when people are under unimaginable amounts of stress and self hatred. These are the years when teenagers bottle everything up. Because it’s easier to act like you’re ok than to just let someone in. As a teenager in 2024 I’m here to tell you that it’s okay. As a seventeen year old who is stressed and tired and has had a million bad days, it’s okay. It’s okay not to be okay.
It’s okay to not be 100% all the time. It’s okay to have bad days. It’s okay to not know why you’re sad. It’s okay to miss a day of school, because you just need a mental break.
It is so crucial for teenagers to know that they’re not alone. There is always someone in your corner. Someone willing to listen.
Embracing that vulnerability is difficult. It’s even more difficult to realize that there are people that are experiencing the same things that you are. However, due to social expectations it’s bottled all up. We live in a digital age so everyone assumes that everyones lives are perfect. But that’s unrealistic. Nobody’s life is truly perfect but nobody wants to show their faults. Nobody wants to show that they aren’t okay. Because there’s this stigma around not being okay. If you’re not okay then you’re permanently messed up. Because that’s fair, that makes sense.
To the people that are losing sleep over school, not answering phone calls, skipping meals, just anyone who needs a little boost. It’s okay. What you’re going through won’t last forever. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
It’s okay not to be okay because you’re trying. And that’s enough.
