Every person has to deal with the most complex thing in the world - their feelings. Teens are especially influenced by them as they are only discovering what this world is about. Today I want to talk about how it feels to be a teenager in the 21st century and how to face and accept your emotions. 

    To start with, let me tell you my story. I’m a teenage girl living in Russia. I moved here 4 years ago when I was 11 years old from my homeland - Turkmenistan and that’s when my childhood ended and my teen, pre-adult life started. It’s hard to explain what I felt because I never knew that I’ll miss my relatives and friends so much, that everything I’ll have is only time flying out of my hands and it was my choice to make - whether I want to stay and be conquered by the feelings of pain that I cannot turn everything back and say everyone how much I love them or start a new life, choose to change and grow. I never expected that self-growth would be that painful but I knew that I have to move on. 

  And here is where it starts. My teen life. The most unknown part of your life. When you are trying to discover who you are, how to love, how to let go, how to deal with the upcoming problems. For sure, all the new stuff in life always comes with a spectrum of emotions, and sometimes it is hard to deal with them. I think it is really important to talk about it because most of the teens don’t know how to face them and that is why they can have panic attacks, anxiety, depression because they don't know what to do + often there is no one to talk to. I’ve come through all these mental disorders and it, for sure, made me stronger and I have some tips to share. 

Here are 4 ways to deal with your emotions:

1) Meditate. Yes, I am serious, just try that for at least 5 minutes a day and you will see positive effects. For me, meditation was a key to overcoming my panic attacks. 

2) Relax. You don’t have to hurry anywhere. You don’t have to know what you are going to do for the rest of your life and that’s totally okay! Just enjoy your time of youth, chill with friends, make memories, try new things. Everyone has their own path and timing and that’s okay if your time hasn't come yet. It will come only if you will enjoy your life here and now. 

3) Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. At school, we are taught that making mistakes is the worst thing in the world. But in real life, your mistakes are your best teachers. It’s actually your mistakes that brought you here where you are and who you are right now. So be grateful and please don’t be scared by them. 

4) Don’t be afraid to share your difficulties and problems with someone. It doesn’t show you as a weak person with low willpower. You are actually very strong for 2 reasons: first, you dealing with a huge amount of emotions at one time every single day and I’m so proud of you (you should be, too); second, if you’re sharing your problem it is showing your love towards yourself, it means that you are your best friend and you will do everything to save yourself. You are so strong that you accept yourself with all your insecurities and are ready to share with someone. Don’t hide everything inside you. The world is so beautiful and big and there will always be people who will support and understand you. 

          Overall, I know how hard sometimes it is to deal with everything that the world shows you. But always remember that your closest person in the world is always ready to listen and to support. And this person is inside you, it is you...