Posted by Matdredalia on 2006-09-15 08:41:10
Post Subject:
Ha. I'm still in my teen years, technically (I just turned 19).
Frankly, my teen years sucked. From the time I turned 12 until about a year ago, life was a living hell 95% of the time.
I'd rather not get into all the drama, becuase it's a lot of stuff that really doesn't need to be rehashed, and it only upsets me, and others, but suffice to say, it wasn't pretty, and the list of diagnosis' that my therapist has on me are indicative of that.
What I do to cope, honestly, is bury myself. I bury myself in project after project after project.
What finally got me to a point where I stopped burying myself was actually another project. I decided to write a zine...
And at first, nothing good came out. I was in a state of numbness due to some things, and my writing just wasn't filled with anything other than mindless chatter that wasn't suitable for human consumption.
Then I met someone who helped pull me out of the numbness, and suddenly, everything I'd ever felt for the past 7 years came flooding out of me....and onto paper or into text files on my computer.
Ironically, burying myself in my zine required me to unbury everything else and showed me a lot about myself and what I need to do with my life.
So, ultimately, my answer is writing. I always kept a paper and pen journal, and from the time I was 14, I've kept an online journal or blog, too.
I'm trying to get more into crafting, because making things really helps to relax me, but unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding a good craft to get into.
But yeah, my best suggestions for coping are this:
DO NOT bottle up or bury your feelings ----- it can only make things worse.
DO find creative outlets such as a craft, music, writing, or art (painting, sketching, etc.).
And, even if you do a craft or some kind of artistic activity --- journaling can never hurt. It helps to get stuff out.
And find someone to talk to...whether it just be someone online (http://teenhelp.org is a good place to go for that sort of ting), or just a friend. Having someone to just listen is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.
I didn't open up to the people who loved me the most for years...and when my best friend found out that I'd been holding back, and told me that no matter what, I could tell her anything, and really pushed me to open up...my life changed. Knowing that no matter what I said, she'd still love me, made a world of difference because she'll just sit there and listen to me, and it helps so much. So yeah, find someone who will listen.
Hope that helped some, hon. If ya' need anything, feel free to PM me.
