Teen Talk :
"Stressed!...Stressed!, I'm not
stressed-out!"
Have you ever seen anyone like that? Their
body language, and their tone of voice betrays the level of stress they are
under. You can see it in their eyes, you can see it in the way they walk,
you can see it in the way they treat their friends, it is written all over their
face. It is so obvious, but they are in denial. Then you realize,
the person you are talking about is the one you see in the mirror. It is
you.
Do you ever feel stressed out? Lets see, the
folks are pressing you for better grades, a cleaner room, and they don't like
the music you are listening to, not to mention your hair, or what you choose to
eat. Your teachers are piling on the homework, and your friends are asking
you to join them in doing "fun" stuff that you know you are not
supposed to do, but want to experience just once. Life as a teen is
hard. So many people to impress, so much work to do, so little time to do
what you want to do. And to top it off, you wish you were taller, thinner,
prettier, more muscular...more...more...more. Yeeeeks! How are you
supposed to stand it????
Its not easy, and don't feel alone in your
anxiousness. It is a common disease for teens and has been since the
beginning of time. You expect the best from life; the best of everything,
car, girlfriend, boyfriend, room, PC, grades, etc., but the world expects the
best from you in return, and that requires a lot of effort on your part.
Growing up is not easy, and never will be. Sure their are the fortunate
few for whom much of what we would want they get, but we must understand and
enjoy who we are, rather than wanting to be them. Trust me, they have
their own problems, and in their eyes they are just as big as your problems are
to you. Be you, and be the best you you can be. Give yourself
a new perspective.
Perspective is a funny thing. When you
realize what is really most important, and know you have it, then it is easy to
be peaceful, rather than stressed. And, you know what...you already have
it. You have the most important thing in life. It is yours to
keep. No one can take it from you! You are a child of God. You
will live forever in His halls, and in His house. When it appears that
everything on this planet is just too much to handle, you can be at peace
knowing that God loves you enough to die for you.
Sure, you can be stressed about your grades, and
all the expectations people have about you, and the expectations you have about
yourself, but don't be stressed about who you are. God made you and God
does not make junk. He loves you for being who you are. He does not
play favorites with His children. He just wants you to be the best you you
can be. That's all.
As for the stuff in this world you are stressed
about, understand that it is about growing up. You are learning the hard
way what it has taken most people the hard way to figure out. To get what
you want from this world takes standing up, preparing, working and taking
responsibility for what you want. And then, finding peace in what you
have, what you are, and who you are. Fortunately for us, God tells us to
bring everything to him in thaksgiving, and He promises us the peace and
happiness we are looking for. We just need to see things the way He does.
