Trouble in Paradise

Mental Health awareness!

La

Mental Health awareness!

Laila Rodene, Staff Writer

Have you ever felt like your life was nothing but an endless loop that you had no control over? Like a simulation? Like you’re in a game of The Sims  and you just happen to be one of the sims that’s being controlled? Like your life was once interesting and you enjoyed what you did but over time, it just felt repetitive and unenjoyable? Like at some point your body just gave up on you and some little girl decided that you’re her new puppet so strung you along forcibly and controlled your life. 

Okay. Maybe that’s a bit dramatic. 

But it feels forced! 

You eat,

Sleep,

Go to school/work/after school activities,

Come home,

And repeat. 

Sure you might have your friends, sports, clubs, and technology to keep you somewhat sane and grounded. But is it really enough? I mean, we all get tired of electronics at one point. And it’s scientifically proven that our minds and personalities change every seven years. You might not like the same sports that have kept you happy for years on end anymore. You might even suddenly feel differently about your friends.

But it’s odd because it feels like you’re just living to live and “succeed.” And you sort of just hope or in some cases, seriously believe that once you become that “successful” person who’s finished high school, gone to college, has a stable job of their choice, and maybe has a significant other and children, all your problems will go away.  Though I know that it’s hard to accept it, it really doesn’t work that way. 

I guess you can say that around this age, it’s normal. You’re figuring yourself out and sometimes you get too focused on that and you forget that you’re still a kid. You forget that you’re young and that you still have a long life ahead of you.

So you add loads and loads of expectations and stress onto your plate without even thinking about the toll it’ll have on your childlike energy and happiness. And before you know it, you’re strapped to the roller coaster and you’re spinning round and round.

But it’s never too late to fix that! Sometimes people just need a reminder. While others need a bit more help and maybe even need a bit of therapy. And although the feeling’s pretty common, it’s not good for you. And it’s definitely not “okay” to let yourself walk around with a fake smile. It’ll only add this extra weight of being miserable and unmotivated onto your shoulders. 

Why be on an amazing path of success and let that all tumble down simply because you didn’t tend to your interests?

And I know you probably read that and thought, “What are you even talking about, I thought we were on the same page??” But that’s exactly what’s going on. 

The reason why you feel like this is because you’re forgetting that you’re just a kid! You won’t always love being a cheerleader. You won’t always want to play basketball or football every year. Maybe you go from the tech loving gamer to the tech loving hockey player! It’s okay to change up your mind sometimes! You’re young! Give yourself time to change your mind! It’s okay to act like an indecisive toddler who doesn’t know which toy to play with! 

People change! Be sure to make sure that what you’re doing is making you happy and not just making you successful! Try something new every now and then! You might enjoy it and spike your motivation up to the roof! 

Try it! You might like it! Good luck 🙂