As a senior in high school, I have had my fair share of ups and downs in relation to academics and my social life. I will openly admit, I am socially awkward. So much so, that I have even made other people I am talking to feel uncomfortable because I am so awkward myself. I feel like all students go through this sort of awkward and difficult phase some time in their high school life, and that although it may seem completely unfair, it is normal.
Feeling like you don't blend in with the other students at your school is not something that should bring you down; I have experienced times in high school where I walked to my next class without my friends and felt insecure because I didn't have someone by my side to talk to; instead, I had strangers next to me who kept bumping into me because of how crowded the hall was. Instead of just attempting to blend in with others by sitting in the back of the classroom every single day of each year, you should embrace yourself for who you are. No one should be the same, and by trying to be someone you're not, you are just lying to yourself.
In the October issue of The Mark, a magazine published in my journalism class, a student who will be named anonymous, had a poem published about depression. In this poem, the word "shell" was mentioned as something that this person hid themselves behind, so that none of his/her peers would know that he/she was depressed. One part of the poem that stood out to me was when the author said, "My shell is funny, personable, outgoing, friendly, and so casual it physically hurts me to use it. My shell surrounds me every day, and I can't begin to take it off for even one second until I start to ride home."
The fact that people feel like they need to prevent others from seeing who they truly are on the inside when they are so young is terrible. I only believed that people were seen as depressed or sad in movies, where everything is staged. But by reading this person's poem I was inspired, and continued reading it over and over again. People shouldn't feel like they need to cover their insecurities up and smile even though they are hurting inside. Even though they would rather avoid the "Are you okay" or "What's bothering you" questions when they're not acting like themselves, I don't believe that people should only be their true selves when alone at home.
High school is the place where teenagers start to figure out who they are as a person. They are constantly challenged with needing to do well in school, while making time for friends and family. However, I feel like the most important part in a teenager's life is making time for themselves. Even though I am a teenager myself I have found that having even 5 minutes to myself makes me so happy, as I can be alone with my own thoughts, without having any more pressure thrown at me. Feeling like you don't live up to the popularity of people in your grade, or feeling as if you need to be someone you're not is not good; you should let you be true to yourself and slowly let down that shell and let others see who you truly are, because you are beautiful and unique in your own way.
Feeling like you don't blend in with the other students at your school is not something that should bring you down; I have experienced times in high school where I walked to my next class without my friends and felt insecure because I didn't have someone by my side to talk to; instead, I had strangers next to me who kept bumping into me because of how crowded the hall was. Instead of just attempting to blend in with others by sitting in the back of the classroom every single day of each year, you should embrace yourself for who you are. No one should be the same, and by trying to be someone you're not, you are just lying to yourself.
In the October issue of The Mark, a magazine published in my journalism class, a student who will be named anonymous, had a poem published about depression. In this poem, the word "shell" was mentioned as something that this person hid themselves behind, so that none of his/her peers would know that he/she was depressed. One part of the poem that stood out to me was when the author said, "My shell is funny, personable, outgoing, friendly, and so casual it physically hurts me to use it. My shell surrounds me every day, and I can't begin to take it off for even one second until I start to ride home."
The fact that people feel like they need to prevent others from seeing who they truly are on the inside when they are so young is terrible. I only believed that people were seen as depressed or sad in movies, where everything is staged. But by reading this person's poem I was inspired, and continued reading it over and over again. People shouldn't feel like they need to cover their insecurities up and smile even though they are hurting inside. Even though they would rather avoid the "Are you okay" or "What's bothering you" questions when they're not acting like themselves, I don't believe that people should only be their true selves when alone at home.
High school is the place where teenagers start to figure out who they are as a person. They are constantly challenged with needing to do well in school, while making time for friends and family. However, I feel like the most important part in a teenager's life is making time for themselves. Even though I am a teenager myself I have found that having even 5 minutes to myself makes me so happy, as I can be alone with my own thoughts, without having any more pressure thrown at me. Feeling like you don't live up to the popularity of people in your grade, or feeling as if you need to be someone you're not is not good; you should let you be true to yourself and slowly let down that shell and let others see who you truly are, because you are beautiful and unique in your own way.