LEGAL RIGHTS
Navigating the Teenage Years: A Time of Big Changes
Your teenage years are a whirlwind of change - physically, emotionally, and mentally. Your body starts maturing, your voice and appearance begin to shift, and keeping up with friendships can feel overwhelming. What many don’t realize is that your brain is also undergoing major development. During this time, you're learning important life skills, becoming more independent, spending more time with friends than family, and beginning to reflect on your goals and personal values. It’s an exciting phase but it can also be challenging.
With all these transitions, it's completely normal to feel like you're on an emotional rollercoaster. One moment you might feel like yelling, the next you might feel like crying and not always for a clear reason. Along with all the new things going on in your life, come new pressures whether it’s from school, relationships, body image, family, or figuring out your identity.
Understanding Mental Health in Adolescence
Because of these changes, it’s not surprising that mental health concerns often begin to show up during the teenage years. In fact, around half of people who experience a mental health condition in their lifetime will begin noticing symptoms before the age of 14. Unfortunately, these signs often go unnoticed by others until much later. It’s not always easy to tell if what someone is experiencing is just part of growing up, or something more serious. This is even more true for teens from low-income families or communities that face discrimination or social exclusion.
The encouraging part is that getting support early can make a huge difference. With the right help, it’s possible to navigate your teenage years in a healthy way even if you’re dealing with a mental health condition.
Why Reaching Out Matters
Most of us naturally turn to our friends when we’re having a hard time and that’s okay. But it’s important to recognize when something is going on that’s more serious or lasting longer than it should. If things don’t seem to be improving, it’s not something you should deal with alone. Talk to a trusted adult so you can get the help you need.
Knowing When to Get Help
Your brain is responsible for everything from how you move and breathe to how you think and feel. So when there’s a mental health concern, it can affect all parts of your life.
Here are some signs that it might be time to reach out for help:
-
Your emotions feel overwhelming or too intense
-
The way you’re feeling doesn’t go away after two weeks
-
Daily tasks like sleeping, eating, focusing, or being around others feel harder
-
You start pulling away from people or isolating yourself
-
You notice unhealthy habits like using alcohol or drugs, or having thoughts of self-harm
-
You're engaging in risky or dangerous behavior
What DOES This Means for You?
If you’re not feeling like yourself, if you’re no longer enjoying things you usually love, like spending time with friends, doing well in school, playing sports, or eating well, that’s a sign it’s time to talk to someone.
You don’t have to go through this alone. There are people who care about you and want to help whether it’s a parent or caregiver, a teacher, coach, or someone from your faith community. What matters most is that you speak up and share what you’re going through.
Talk To An Adult You Trust
It might be awkward to bring up the topic of mental health with parents or a family member. You may feel embarrassed or ashamed. But remember that there are lots of people who can be a source of support or guidance, including teachers, school counselors, coaches, club leaders or faith leaders. Sometimes, a grandparent or older sibling is easier to talk to than a parent. It might be helpful to ask yourself who you would go to if you were having trouble with a friend.
Or you can always reach out to us for a free counselling session, we can then guide you to take appropriate action and help you get the care that you need.
Ask For Help
Reaching out and letting someone know how you are feeling is the first step to getting the guidance, support and treatment you need to feel better. Your family may want you to talk to your doctor as a starting place. Another great option is to reach out to your school guidance counselor, nurse or social worker. These professionals can provide resources to help you.
Consider Talking To A Therapist
If your mental health concern is affecting your school work, your friendships or your relationships with family, your parents or guardian may want you to see a therapist. Talk therapy is a relationship and an ongoing conversation to help you learn approaches to understanding and managing your feelings, thinking and behavior.
Many people experience difficulties in school; not because the work or responsibility itself is too much, but because they have trouble paying attention, don’t have the mental energy to learn, are too anxious to focus or have patterns of getting into conflicts with other people. If you are experiencing any of these, therapy can help.
Don’t feel like you have to find a therapist on your own – your parents or guardian should be involved. You can send them this information to help them help you.
We are committed to ensuring that every individual experiencing a mental health challenge receives the support, care, and respect they deserve.