– ANGELIQUE SEÑORIN
From a narrower view of the world, we gradually begin to see the bigger picture of life. We start to realize the changes going on with us & around us. Understanding this, inevitably - we also start being affected by these things. In the stage of adolescence, we further develop our sense of self awareness. We become more aware of our thoughts & emotions, unlike how we recently used to. As an adolescent, seeing myself grow still feels foreign to me. Seeing these various developments & drastic changes and having to face the uncertain future all at once can be quite overwhelming; how we choose to respond to these is what’s very crucial as it reflects our state of mental health.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, & social well-being. It affects how we think, how we feel & how we behave. The six dimensions of positive psychological functioning are self-acceptance, positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, & personal development. Being psychologically well doesn’t simply rely on the absence of mental disorders, it is being both mentally & emotionally healthy at the same time. Otherwise, inability to handle all the stress & pressure with a constructive mind can lead to mental health problems, like anxiety, depression & other disorders. In this stage of life, we may feel a lot of burden & often feel pressured when it comes to our studies, our peers or even our family. With those expectations said, all including our own, it’s only necessary that we know that: it’s okay to take a break & to take our time. We won’t always meet those expectations & it’s only normal not to do so. We can’t control how our lives turn out to be nor can we plan it beforehand. There may only be few things that we truly have control over but one of those is our minds & our response to it. Only we have control to that.
Growing into an adolescent was daunting. Having to grow up & all of a sudden being in an unfamiliar state wherein I’m constantly changing. When I realized this, I almost felt so lost. I wondered how come I wasn’t who I used to be anymore & why I had to go through all these changes when I was better off without them anyway. It was terrifying to see myself grow into someone I didn’t know & feel such emotions I never knew existed. I remember just wanting for things to be back like how they used to be & never have to face these changes.
Even if I tried to push myself back, I wouldn’t fit in the place that I’ve stayed in for so long, because I’ve already outgrown it. The reason I had to leave that small place was because I was meant to go somewhere bigger. With all these developments, I’ve only grown but I was never not myself. I’ve grown to know that I am constantly changing every moment. Of course, change can be intimidating only because we’ve never been there before. At first it can be quite uncomfortable but after some time, we’ll eventually get the hang of it.
Life can be unpredictably harsh, we’ll all face countless difficulties, but with the constant choice of facing it & learning from it, it will mold us into someone much stronger & wiser than who we were yesterday. Life is full of constant choices. There will always good & bad days & we ought to embrace both because we wouldn’t be able appreciate one without the other.
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