Emotions are Real

Depression is a huge problem among teens. I did not notice just how far the pain traveled until it began to affect me and my friends personally. It comes in slowly and no one really notices at first. I did not notice when my friend began to suffer, and still- after months of treatment- I have a hard time realizing when he is facing a bout of sadness and when he is just fine.

Over the weekend, I watched the movie Paper Towns. I had read the book and really fell in love with the characters and the story. There were so many parts that I could really relate to. Many times, one of the main teen characters would say something very profound about their feelings and I could not help but think that that particular character was something like me. However, one of the adults that was in the room while I was watching commented in a way that really burst my bubble. He said, "No teenager could ever think or feel something that profound. It's not possible." Let me tell you, that really ticked me off.

I get really tired of people saying that teens do not have mature emotions. They do. The teen years are full of ups and downs and they are the highest highs and the lowest lows. There is so much pressure put on a teenager now that it would be impossible not to expect them to feel something besides the basic happiness, sadness, or anger.

In my four short years of high school, I have felt heart break, and loss, and earth-shattering sorrow. I have jumped for joy and felt my heart skip beats as I fell in love. I have been the very angriest at my family and my friends and at myself. I have been ecstatic on several occasions. Days later I felt like the world was coming to an end. I have ridden the roller coaster that only goes up, to find that it inevitably comes back down, and it comes down hard and for a really long time. Eventually, though, it all evens out and I lead a good life. I would not trade any of these emotions for each one has taught me a very valuable lesson.

Adults need to remember what being a kid was like. It is not easy. (There are easier things. I do not have a house payment yet, nor do I have to feed my family and pay for their needs. Yet I still have the stress of school, family, college, work, sports, clubs, and performing arts.) Do not take for granted a teenager's emotions. They could be feeling more in ten minutes than an adult has felt in a year, and it is all very raw and it is all very real. ​