In today’s chaotic, demanding, highly competitive, and peer intensive environment, it is evident that teenagers face a lot of impediments.
This sensitive scenario has to be controlled and maintained by the following people in the subject’s life i.e. parents, teachers and principal, school friends and peers outside the gambit of the school, and society at large.
More often than not the main hurdle faced by a subject is the desire to be one among their peers, the materialistic urge to possess an improved version of other’s possession, the seductive temptations of vices, the constant pressure of fulfilling what others or society expects of them, the perpetual desire to attain unrealistic body types and a dreary list which goes on.
Sometimes even the most elementary of issues push the subject over the edge or to take the extreme step of suicide. A tantrum is not bowed down to, a goal not achieved, restrictions on going out, usage of digital devices, a relationship not navigated as hoped, a stern scolding, made fun of at a party, a hurtful comment made by a bully, negligence of oneself, or simply not wanting to ask for help.
These issues though devastating at their strongest can nimbly be thwarted at their earliest sign. The practice of discussing the day’s proceedings with a family member goes a long way in establishing a bond of trust and reliance. In the future, it acts as a safety net for teenagers to discuss the issues they are wrestling with and keeps depression at bay.
Having family-oriented activities as a tradition is a great way to strengthen mental health. When people are aware that they have a pillar of support to fall back on they are less prone to taking extreme measures.
Making new acquaintances is really important especially for individuality. Friends introduce us to new things, share novel ideas, make us see the world in an imaginative light, and so on but adolescents have to be careful in regard to who they give access to their inner sanctum. Sometimes the wolf in disguise ruins us in ways we cannot imagine while letting us down a path that seldom has a point of return.
Parents strive to protect their wards from the world or from repeating mistakes but often this concern forms an unhealthy cocoon. The adolescent is restricted from showcasing any individuality and then is criticized for not having a backbone. This, in turn, is the duality of the issue. This can be reformed by striking a healthy balance between allocating responsibility and holding them accountable.
Society in definition is built of us, for us, by us. But in actuality, it stands as a humongous obstacle with its myriad of rules and regulations. We bow down to it or rebel against it, but we never manage to achieve our goals, we always lose some part of ourselves in the bargain. Teenagers have to build a door around this obstacle by retaining their self-worth, having faith, fighting against odds, and emerging victorious.