To All Teenagers: We've All Been Through It | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

To All Teenagers: We've All Been Through It

29
To All Teenagers: We've All Been Through It

Sometimes it is necessary to cry and let your guard down. Sometimes it is even necessary to forget about how you look and have the ugliest cry of your life. Warning number one: this cry will involve a multitude of horrid sounds that can only be compared to a cat with a fugly Kim Kardashian facial expression falling off of a nine story building. Yet other times it is necessary to laugh uncontrollably. It is necessary to grab your stomach, smear away the tears pouring from your eyes, and laugh as if you just saw Mean Girls for the first time. Warning number two: this will not be some beautiful, Blake Lively picturesque laugh that happens as you flip your hair over your shoulder during brunch. It will be a loud, obnoxious sound, perhaps followed by a few or many snorts that will fuel the fire and inevitably lead to more gut-wrenching laughter. These two actions encompass the spectrum of behaviors that represent life.

Normal people hardly go from one behavior to the other in a short span of time, but I don’t particularly recall anyone saying teenagers are normal. Those who did, or attempt to claim that, are aliens who have never experienced what it's like to have raging hormones, acne from hell, or frenemies. To put it simply, being a teenager is really fucking hard. A chunk of your life from the ages of thirteen to nineteen may seem overrated when you are looking at it in the rearview mirrors, but those six years were, and are, an emotional roller coaster from hell.

The thrill-seeking soul inside of you becomes atwitter with life as you ride a roller coaster. Feelings of excitement, nervousness, and amusement awaken the butterflies lying dormant in your stomach until they are fluttering about. Gliding across the rails, hanging upside down, and tackling loop-de-loops leaves you feeling alive and invincible. If only the six year roller coaster teenagers endured left us feeling this way. Instead, you constantly find yourself wishing you could live your life as a hermit who would one day be the subject of a TLC or HBO series. Part of this is due to the pressure. The amount of pressure that a teenager experiences trying to fit the mold of "perfect" is comparable to an obscenely obese man and his entire bowling ball shaped family sitting on his/her chest. Society has crafted an idea that a teenager can go to school, play sports, be student council president, obtain good grades, be social, and still get a full eight hours of sleep a night. NEWSFLASH: THIS PERSON DOES NOT EXIST. (We killed him years ago upon discovering he did all those things. Just kidding. Or am I?) Our own preconceptions are our worst nightmares. We are obsessed with the idea of fitting in, relentless in believing that once we do fit in, everything else will fall into place. We try to shove our larger than life personalities into a box that we place into the back of our closets between our ratty-haired American Girl dolls and logo Aeropostale t-shirts we have long been ashamed of. Few escape this fate, and those who do are usually labeled harshly.

Adding to the stress of the already turbulent roller coaster ride is school: my own personal nightmare and home for ten months a year, five days a week, seven hours a day. The reality of school itself is unrealistic. Teenagers nowadays are repeatedly told to “stand out” and “be different." Well, I don’t know about the rest of the teenage population, but I'm pretty sure “different” is synonymous with someone who is anything but Caucasian, has a 4.0 grade point average, won the noble peace prize, and is currently developing the cure for cancer. Good news for me: I am this person. Well, as long as you take out the “anything but” and leave the Caucasian part of it. Oh, and change the 4.0 to 3.5ish. Plus, a minor alteration of “Noble Peace Prize” to “Superlative for most likely to succeed." Last thing, I promise, just cut out “cure for cancer” and paste “cure for procrastination," which if I’m being honest, is going to solve a hell of a lot more problems. Win, win.

Being a teenager is surviving an impossible time. As a result, I applaud any teenager who gets out of bed in the morning. I commend any teenager who goes to school on any given day. I laud any teenager who refuses to be anyone but themselves. Finally, and most importantly, I relate to any teenager who is just focused on surviving.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

190744
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

15185
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

458071
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

26735
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments