Dear Teentalker,
Thank you for attending the TeentalkIndia session at your school, for reaching out and sharing your concerns.
It seems like you are going through a LOT at the tender age and given the stage of life you are at, the responsibilities you are taking on can seem like too much to handle!
Teen years are typically supposed to be carefree where you have the opportunity to explore yourself and the world outside, but in your case, the situation seems to be a little different. You are forced to grow up at a very young age and take care of the family, instead of older people taking care of you and all.....
Dear Teentalker,
Thank you for attending the TeentalkIndia session at your school, for reaching out and sharing your concerns.
It seems like you are going through a LOT at the tender age and given the stage of life you are at, the responsibilities you are taking on can seem like too much to handle!
Teen years are typically supposed to be carefree where you have the opportunity to explore yourself and the world outside, but in your case, the situation seems to be a little different. You are forced to grow up at a very young age and take care of the family, instead of older people taking care of you and allowing you to just be. This phenomena that you're going though is referred to as being the 'parentified child' wherein the child takes on the role of the elderly (like a parent) in order to keep the house running.
While the magnitude of your situation is quite large, it is possible to overcome this, with conscious efforts and in the process, reduce your levels of anxiety by making sure you follow what's mentioned below:
1. Seek out as many elderly mentors and role models as you can: This could be by talking about your concern with a trusted teacher or some one who is mature (for example, a mentor from some event or club or extra-curricular activity which you are a part of) enough to listen and understand what it is that you're dealing with.
2. Read inspirational stories of famous personalities: Get ready to be surprised, but a lot of celebrities have gone through extreme difficulties, before they became rich and famous, including teen icon Justin Bieber!
3. Mastering the art of resilience and bouncing back: No matter how hard, life might seem right now, things will get better with time, if you stay focused on your long-term goals and believe in yourself, no matter what challenges life throws at you. To know more, please read the article on '5 ways to quickly recover from life's hardships' by clicking on the following link:
https://www.teentalkindia.com/explore/loss-grief/5-ways-to-recover-quickly-from-life-s-hardships
4. Think positive: Say positive affirmations to yourself on a daily basis, for example, "Day by day, I am getting better and better' at least 5 times before you go to bed and 5 times when you wake up the first thing in the morning. To know more about positive affirmations, please read through the following article by clicking on the following link:
https://www.teentalkindia.com/explore/body-image-selfesteem/say-these-10-affirmations-to-yourself-every-day-and-see-your-life-transform
To get a detailed understanding about anxiety related symptoms, please visit the following link:
https://www.teentalkindia.com/explore/depression-anxiety
Hope this helps! If you need further clarifications, please feel free to write back or you can chat with the Teentalk Experts from Mondays to Saturdays: 11am-8pm
Regards,
Expert Teentalkindia
