Sometimes life gets overwhelming; it gets to be so much that our mental health is out of service. This could leave us feeling hopeless and alone like we cannot escape the drowning feeling in our own minds. Unfortunately, declining mental health is on the rise. Teenagers do not know what to do or how to fix what feels broken, while there are various ways to cope you can google, or quick fixes that may help at the moment, none of this is a permanent solution to something that can last a lifetime. With the increase in poor mental health, therapy could be the best tool for teens who have trouble with the things in their life. 

Beginning with the decline of mental health, according to Spring Health,  in the past 10 years, a statistic found mostly in girls (not to say this does not happen to guys), 60% of them can feel more sad or hopeless. Why is that? An estimated 70% of countries don’t have psychiatrists that specialize in helping adolescents, and 20% of teens struggling with behavioral, mental, or emotional problems are not getting the help that they need. It is no surprise that teens bottle up their emotions, and part of this may be because they do not feel like they have someone they can confide in. Teens then bottle up these strong emotions because that is the only coping mechanism that seems logical at the moment. After a while, these bottled-up feelings lead to harsh or dramatic actions because it seems the only way to eliminate them. Other reasons might involve outside pressures. Parenting for the Brain states some cause for the need to bottle up emotions is the repose parents give, in some cases the “bad” or challenging emotions are neglected and so kids grow up not expressing these emotions. This can lead to poor mental health, lack of emotional regulation, weakened immunity, and social competence.

While it can be hard to talk to someone about what is going on, therapy is a great resource for teens. Sometimes, the issues teens are experiencing are something they feel ashamed of or do not feel comfortable telling an adult out of fear of disappointing them or making them upset. How would this help? According to Wellness Road Psychology, teens who see a therapist will be in an overall better mood and have greater self-esteem and self-confidence. It can also give teens tools for helping themselves when they are not with the therapist. Some tips that can help in the heat of the moment are saying the ABCs and saying a food that begins with the letter you are on. Holding something hot or cold and even eating something with a strong taste can help you keep your mind off whatever is bothering you, however, this is only a short-term fix. Life gets messy and overwhelming, it happens to everyone. With the resources we have, it is better to use them to their full advantage to help find a solution before the problems start.