These Emotions!
Sometimes you have this feeling and you are overwhelmed with emotions. One minute you’re happy and the very next you could punch a hole in the wall. How did this happen? How can you go from one emotional extreme to another? You think you are in control, but from the highs and lows you continue to experience, it is clear your emotions have a mind of their own.
At the age of 15 I was a hormonal nightmare. If being rude and crude were on the agenda, I had them both mastered. Everyone kept talking about this “hormonal change” teenagers experienced and looking back, I heard them but I had no idea what they were talking about. I associated hormonal changes with three (3) things: sex, menstruation, and bigger boobs. My culture didn’t advocate psychological counseling to growing teens; it advocated condoms and birth control. The message I received was, “You are going through puberty and your sex drive has increased. Protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms. Oh and because you’ve started you’re cycle, you’ll need to get on some sort of birth control- it’s free at the health department.” While all of this is very true, trust me when I say, the puberty 
roller coaster does not stop there. The surcharge in hormones generates a lot of different and heightened emotions.
Most teenagers experience brief bouts of chemical imbalances. A lot of teens are able to deal with the influx of hormones, but some have a very hard time adjusting and slip into a deep depression. As someone who has been diagnosed with depression and treated, it is sometimes hard to know when you need to seek medical attention. Studies suggest that if it is hard for you to get along with others or if you are experimenting with drugs and/or alcohol, you could be experiencing depression. It is also suggested that if you have difficulty getting motivated for school or classroom assignments you might be in a state of depression. Unfortunately, this information isn’t entirely helpful to a teenager. Hello studies?? What teenager doesn’t find it hard to get along with at least one person? What teenager doesn’t experiment with drugs or alcohol? And who in the hell wants to go to school?? In my opinion, this is what makes it hard for a teenager to know what depression looks or feels like. Are you just being a “teenager” or are you on the verge of a mental breakdown? The reality is: the things that categorize depression (the warning signs) are symptoms every teenager experiences. But as common as the symptoms might be, they are not to be ignored.
I experienced depression when I was 19 years old. Because the disease runs in my family, I was very familiar with the symptoms and able to know when I needed to seek help. For me, I knew something was different when I no longer wanted to be around my friends and family. I am a very socially involved person and when my bed sounded better than a Friday night bonfire, I knew something was wrong. If you do not feel like yourself, do not simply account it puberty. Seek professional help and get treatment. When I say treatment your initial thought is probably something like Cymbalta or Abilify. While some forms of depression do require medications, not all treatments end with prescription drugs. I treated my depression with counseling and by journalism about my feelings. I did spend a few months on an anti-depressant, but as I quickly regained control of my emotions the anti-depressant became unnecessary. Even though I knew the symptoms associated with depression, I would have never known how to treat my depression. This condition is an illness, and as with any illness, it is best to have the disease treated by a licensed medical professional. According to online reporting site Health line, women are twice as likely as men to experience depression and approximately 80% of people who have symptoms [of depression] do not receive any sort of medical attention. The statistics for mental health are alarming. Hundreds of people experience mental instability and go untreated every day.
You cannot see your brain or your feelings, but you know they are there. They are intricate parts of who you are that can’t be ignored. As a teen you aren’t really sure what is going on with your mind, your emotions, or your body- and that is okay. But when you are in serious doubt, seek help! Talk to a mentor who has been where you are; ask her what puberty was like for her. It is normal to be uncomfortable talking about your feelings, but that does not mean they are to be ignored. As important as it is to maintain a healthy body, it is just as important to maintain a healthy mind.
Remember it all comes back to being in touch with yourself and knowing who you are. You have a long road of emotional changes ahead ladies, welcome it with grace.
Until next time peace, love, mental health and beauty.
-Heidi Thomas
