Teen Mental Health

Go look up mental health memes that help you support yourself. Just do it. Now look up sexual health memes. They’re both pretty fantastic, because memes are honestly

one of the best things that have ever graced this earth.

Now before you get totally lost scrolling to support yourself through these memes (as I literally just did), I’ve got a few things to say.

1. Teen mental health controls every single aspect of our lives.
2. If you’re generally stable for the time being, you’re most likely going to make decisions that are aimed at supporting yourself.
3. However, when you’re depressed, you tend to get careless; especially with big decisions like sex.

With mental illness, it’s hard to care, because it may seem like

there’s no point, that

you’re not worth taking care of yourself, or anything of the sorts.

Everyone has different coping mechanisms, but one that I’ve mainly come across has been teens using sex and intimacy to fill the emptiness mental illness creates.

Well, if you haven’t realized this already, that can be extremely damaging not only to your psyche, but also to you physically,

with unwanted pregnancy, STI’s,

and just generally can mess with your self worth

once you come out of your depressive episode.

Besides the obvious “make sure to use protection no matter what,” what should we, as teenagers, do when we absolutely feel like shit?

Staying on the mental health side of things, I know that there

aren’t enough resources to help everyone who needs it, and that

the extent of places to get help is way less than it needs to be, but I also know that

there are things you can do in order to keep yourself from jumping off the ledge,

both physically and metaphorically.

Try to find things to keep you busy;

volunteering

sports

anything and everything

to help you move

away from a negative state of mind.

Steps Towards Recovery

And although this won’t ‘cure’ you, it can help you make steps towards recovery and help you avoid negative decisions and dangerous coping mechanisms that can harm your entire being.

Garfield County PREP has an amazing summer intern program – so I’ve been told, I actually live in Eagle – that is perfect for just this, or you can become involved in Project We Care Colorado, a state wide completely teen-led organization set on educating and advocating for mental health and decreasing stigma.

Our board is composed mainly of teens who are on their road to recovery after extreme mental illness, and we are dedicated to making a change in our mental health landscape.

Be safe kids.

Wear a helmet

(and a condom).

Make smart choices and remember:

Even if things seem pointless right now, try to act like you care, so when you actually do, you haven’t completely gone off track from getting the wonderful life you want and deserve.

Take your pills,

stay hydrated,

eat some food,

take good care of yourself

physically

emotionally

and mentally.