Mental Health for Teens: Why Your Teen Feels Like They’re Falling Behind

More and more teenagers are silently going through immense emotional distress, all while trying to keep up with their studies, social lives, family duties, and the need to appear perfectly fine. While there has been more awareness about mental health in teenagers than ever before because of social media, most young people still struggle with feeling embarrassed to ask for help. Guilty for not feeling okay and also scared that people will think differently of them if they say they are feeling tired.

Why Adolescence Fuels so Much Self-Doubt

These days, teens are constantly exposed to discussions about anxiety, trauma, depression, and emotional struggles online. While allowing teens to see they are not alone, social media has also created an odd type of comparison. Some teens start feeling like their own struggles aren’t significant enough when others seem to be going through more online.

A teen may believe:

• “Other people have it worse than me.”
• “I shouldn’t complain because I have a good life.”
• “Maybe I’m just being dramatic.”

This way of thinking trains them to brush off their emotional struggles rather than explore them.

How Teens Lose Touch with Their Own Inner Feelings

Comparing their stress to everyone else’s situations causes teenagers to lose touch with how they feel.

Instead of asking themselves what they need, they start to doubt what they feel because everyone else seems to have it together. After a while, they become desensitized to their own emotions because they are constantly comparing themselves to Instagram posts, classmates, influencers, or friends.

Why Most Teenagers Feel Weak for Needing Help With Mental Health for Teens

We’re raised to believe that strong people handle their struggles independently. Because of this, teens then feel embarrassed when they need emotional support. Many teenagers feel like asking for help is an admission that they’re failing at life.

Teenagers who have been labeled the “easy-going” or “independent” child by their family may have an even harder time reaching out. They think people will judge them if they open up about their emotions. All of which causes them to experience mental and emotional fatigue.

Feeling Guilty for Having Struggles

Sometimes teenagers feel ashamed when they are having a hard time. They think their life is too good to justify feeling stressed or sad. Other times, they have their parents’ support, good grades, and friendships. They start to question whether what they are feeling is even real.

It is important they know that just because they don’t have it as bad as others, that doesn’t mean their feelings aren’t valid. They do not have to be going through a tragic situation to be supported.

Emotional Exhaustion from the Pressure to Appear Fine

It is common for teenagers to go to school, respond to friends’ messages, post on social media, and make jokes with friends even though they are emotionally tired. Since they appear perfectly fine on the outside, they tell themselves their stress isn’t bad.

This might be one of the top misconceptions when it comes to teen mental health. Just because your teen seems fine does not mean their emotional state is too. Stress, anxiety, emotional numbness, and pressure should be addressed before they become full-blown problems.

Your teenager can and should seek assistance before things reach a critical point. The sooner your teen talks to someone about their emotions, the better they will understand how to handle themselves when things become difficult.

If you think your teen could benefit from talking to someone, there’s no need to wait. The counselors on the website have years of experience in helping teens and families learn how to overcome their emotional stress. Everyone listed on our website offers teenage counseling and would be more than happy to help you with your teen’s health. Call the number on the screen for more information, or look through the counselors in our website directory.