Teen Musings

It's the age all parents fear and the children so unwittingly fall prey to. Nobody can escape it, a select few remain in control, and many have succumbed to its idiocyncracies. The age when 'fitting in' is the main purpose of life. Yes, teenage is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

As I have grown up to be a fine adult, I realise what my parents told me was true. 'You will look back to this day, and feel nostalgic and stupid at this time.' Yes, I do look back to the time when I was five feet nothing and felt travelling in the Metro was the coolest thing to do. Hiring an auto, sneaking out of the house to travel, say, two metres was pretty gratifying and thrilling at the time. And sometimes, when I look back, I miss that adrenaline rush you get when you know you have an angry mother just waiting for you to ring the bell.

I'm not saying I enjoyed being scolded or rebuked; neither do I look back at such face offs fondly. But, those are the times which have defined me to be who I am today. I realise the anger, almost on the brink of rage, my mother must have been feeling back then. My little cousin, two and half years old, gets on my nerves the same way. I now realize that it does not mean my mother loved me less (which I did feel for about two years, by the way). But that she just wanted me to know and draw my own limits. Learn to adhere to rules, the importance of which I realise now, in the most pivotal period of my life.

I still remember the hideous report card which laughed at my face in the 8th Grade. I remember not being able to face my mother for hours, and weeping bitterly at the mere thought of having that wretched piece of card in front of me. But, nevertheless, it was something which pulled me up. It knocked some sense into me and made me realise that I liked getting good grades, even though the 'in' thing was to boycott studies altogether. It made me get that 9.6 in 10th and it's helping me get through this torment of a year too. The strong values which she embedded in me through that loud, screeching voice of hers reprimanding me has come to be more useful than I thought. I feel obliged to thank her.

But, that said, I was a pretty awesome teenager. I know she has learnt things from me too. I don't know what, and looking back right now nothing's striking me, but I'm positive she has taken something from me. Though my defining characteristics will always be the ones I picked up from her. The patience I have to neither implode nor explode from the emotions I feel are also her doing. Wow. I cannot write a single article in hindsight without mentioning my mother. It's true. I'll always be have a deep connection with my mother.

That said, this is for all the present day teenagers out there. Enjoy this phase, make your silly mistakes, but watch out for the grave ones. Your parents are there to catch you when you fall. But, make sure to learn from them. None of us enter this phase being perfect (all of us feel that way, though), none of us exit this phase being perfect. But, correcting your errors gets you that much closer to being a 'good' person, a person who knows the difference between right and wrong; and become a responsible adult.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Teen-Musings&id=9426556

5 Seemingly Negative Behaviors You Didn’t Know Are Actually Healthy

There are some seemingly negative behaviors that we have been conditioned to think are unhealthy, when in actual fact they’re pretty healthy and can aid our mental health a great deal. Being authentic and true to yourself is one of the healthiest ways to live your life, but there are many authentic behaviors that we, as society, believe are unhealthy. Read on and embrace these behaviors – they’ll do you a world of good! 

1. Strong Emotions Showing emotions such as anger and sadness are seen as unhealthy, so we are conditioned to reign in our anger and stop our tears but in actual fact, that is quite unhealthy. Anger is an emotional energy so embracing it and learning how to turn that energy into something positive can be a very healthy use of your anger. Crying can help us unleash some locked-up emotions that we didn’t know we had, it can be therapeutic for a whole range of reasons. Show your emotions, get angry, cry, do what you feel – it will make you feel a hell of a lot better for it. 

2. Being Alone Being alone is often seen as a negative behavior and an indicator that something is wrong but that couldn’t be further from the truth. For introverts, being alone is a chance to recharge and even for those of you who enjoy constantly being around other people, taking some time out every now-and-then to be alone and get to know yourself can be healthy. 

3. Not Fitting in Not fitting in with your peers can be painful, especially during your younger years when you’re in education. Fitting in and being one of the crowd can mean your thoughts, goals and opinions are aligned with those of others, so not fitting in may mean you’re unique in ways that can only be beneficial to you for the rest of your life. 

4. Breaking Rules Perhaps one of the most obvious. From a young age, we’re told that we can’t break rules and that they’re there for a reason. In reality, breaking a few rules here and there (I’m not talking laws or serious rules there for safety) can be beneficial and can break barriers to achieve things that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to achieve. Don’t be afraid to break the rules and do your own thing. 

5. Not Knowing What You Want from Life Again, from a young age we are conditioned to have goals and know exactly what we want from life. However, if you don’t know where your life is headed, it can actually be quite healthy. Allowing yourself to go with the flow and not knowing where your life will take you will free you more than you could ever imagine. Sure, having plans in place can be great, but not knowing can be a lot healthier and can lead to happier, more optimistic feelings. There are many behaviors that have changed in meaning through society and the ways in which we are conditioned to behave. Are there any behaviors you can think of that society claim are negative but can actually be healthy? How many of these are you guilty of feeling negative about?

http://www.learning-mind.com/negative-behaviors-healthy/