THEME POST 1: WHAT MY SCHOOL TOOK FROM ME

I entered my high school with a charismatic, confident personality. Maybe, some people wouldn’t agree on this point, but I believe I was one of my best versions. But sadly, I didn’t come out the same. I came out as a lazy, unconfident boy who was very scared of how people would react to his actions, or in general, to his life.

Who can I blame for this? Should I blame myself for this? That I had a low mental stability, or should I blame the walls of my school? Maybe, some magic would have been in there? Or should I blame the people in it that made me feel invisible in myself, even though I was one of the most visible children.

So, can I say that I lost some things in my school? Is it safe to say I lost a major part of myself in my school? Is it okay to say that I am working very hard to figure out who I am?

I am not ashamed to say I have been called names, and very bad things in my school and people, and these people were anywhere and anyone, and I am also proud to say that I am never been more happy with myself. I have started taking pride in how HE has made me, and it’s pretty safe to shout that HE never makes mistakes.

Bullies have a way to bully. They love to call people names, and have no idea that a person may be insecure with what he is. They just love to suck happiness out of people’s life, and the worst part is some of them don’t even know that they are doing harm to someone. Calling a girl ugly just because she chooses to flaunt her natural self instead going for layers of make up or a boy feminine just because he cries easily won’t make the bully more beautiful or more masculine respectively.

But when you are crawling in your life and you’re finding a way to lift up your crippled confidence, only YOU can help yourself. You can…Actually, you should find someone to help you, but in the end, it’s your efforts that’s gonna count.

1. ·         If you are strong enough, try to not take it on your heart. They don’t know you well personally, and if they do not know you personally, baby, please do not take it personally.
2. ·         But not all people are strong enough. So, find a therapist, and take professional help. Just keep one thing in mind, ‘There is nothing to be ashamed of about talking help.’
3. ·         Share ALMOST everything with your parents, or with someone mature enough.
4. ·         The authorities in school should keep a regular check on bullying, and more specifically verbal bullying, because the scars are not visible and it is very difficult to heal the wounds you can’t see. It drains more confidence than physical bullying could ever do.

And in the last, if someone forgot to tell you, there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel, and everything is going to turn out fine. JUST FINE.

LOST TEENAGERS: Find yourself

Who decides that we are lost? And even if they tell us so, are we really? With the aim to reach our destination, we all have embarked on very personal journey ready to be stumbled, get up and again run. But does everyone have a plan to what we need in our lives? There are certainly many people who have no idea how they are going to fulfill the dreams they have seen for themselves. So can we then label those people as LOST? Can we label ourselves as LOST?

Many of us switch to different professions hoping that we would find something that we love, and something that we really want, and that is very necessary for our growth. But during this period of self discovery, we are more often diagnosed with depression, anxiety etc. I couldn’t help but wonder: is this the end of our journey? No! Ah, most of us would feel in this way but NO!

We all have heard people saying, “You are taking your time to heal, and you are allowed your time to heal,” but I couldn’t stop wondering that are we really given proper space and time as we are constantly been stirred by our very own personal critics? Teenagers go through identity crisis more than others demographics do, and they fight everyday to find out who they truly are, and what they truly want.

I find people saying, “Don’t respond to the negativity knocking on your door; it has nothing good to say,” and with no doubt, this is a good measure to stop self doubting. I am not sure if this statement has its universal appeal, but in India, many students (teenagers) live with the fear of being lost during their gap year after their higher secondary exams, and if a student fails to get to their respective destination, many of us find it difficult to cope with the stir brought in our lives.

The most effective way to shut those voices, and moreover our doubting self is positive self talk. What does this positive self- talk means? Does it simply mean believing the things contrary to our worst reviews? Stop telling yourself that you’re lost. Look upon your words, and instead speak ‘I’m discovering myself’. ‘I’m healing’ would be better than ‘I’m broken’.

There are certain sites telling you what positive self talk contains. That's your homework to find out how. I just want to tell that you’re just a wanderer stunned by the beauty of the chaotic journey- your chaotic journey. And even if you believe that you’re lost, firmly say that you are ready to BE FOUND.