The self-image we as teenagers have of ourselves can be life-altering. The years we live as teenagers are ultimately the years which shape our personalities. The picture we have of ourselves can affect every and any aspect of our lives, such as the kind of friends we keep, the choices we make, and the successes we have in school and in work. Chances are, if we develop a negative self-image, we will not be successful throughout our lives. In order to have a truly fulfilling life, we as teenagers need to develop a positive self-image within our teenage years.
If we as teenagers have a negative self-image, it could lead to damaging behaviors such as unprotected sex, the abuse of alcohol and drugs. These behaviors would be a coping mechanism towards our lack of confidence. Teenagers with negative self-image do not believe in themselves and feel as if they are not of any value. This belief could affect the rest of their lives. A highly negative consequence of negative self-image could be suicidal thoughts and actions. If a teenager feels worthless, unwanted and alone, they might be led into the decision to take their own lives.
Teenagers usually develop a negative self-image of themselves if they are unsuccessful in school, are bullied, and are not given enough attention by their parents. Although they might be loved, they might feel as if they do not have enough friends, or as if they have the wrong type of friends. When bullied in school, they might feel as outcasts; which could lead them into abusing drugs as an escape.
If you are one of these teenagers, you need to realize that you are beautiful. You are worth the world to someone, and your life is never worth taking. God created you the way you are, with no mistakes.
All of us go through tough times in our lives, but there is nothing we cannot overcome. Everything happens for a reason. Once you overcome the bad, it will only lead to good. Teenagers need to develop a strongly positive self-image of themselves in order to live truly fulfilling as well as successful lives. If teenagers have a positive self-image of themselves, they can strive to be the best they can be. They will have the confidence that will take them far in life, and they will never give up.
The self-image we as teenagers have of ourselves can be life-altering. If positive, we could live a very successful, happy and fulfilling life. However, if negative, we could fall apart and not be able to put ourselves back together.
-According to http://www.jaredstory.com/teen_epidemic.html, 500,000 teenagers try to kill themselves each year, and about 500 succeed.
-Suicide is the third leading cause of death in those fifteen to twenty-five years of age.
Do not be a part of these statistics. Do not lead others into being apart of them either. No one deserves to take his or her life. We are all God’s children, we are all beautiful.
This posting was really very powerful. It definitely went the extra mile on how a teenagers self-view can affect their lives. When a teenager has poor self esteem, and no confidence in themselves, they soon feel worthless in the world. It is a scary concept to think that some teenagers take it as far as ending their own life. God created each of us for a reason. He placed each one of us on this planet because we have a meaning to be here. When a teenager takes their own life, a piece in the puzzle God has created is missing. We as a society are not whole. Each person is valuable in the world, because each one of us is beautiful and loved by all. As God's children, we should all take a step forward and protect our brothers and sisters. This blog is an amazing place for teenagers to read and have a sense that they are not alone. We are all here for you and we all love you.
ReplyDelete- Amanda Cilli
This was such a powerful post. I completely agree with what you are saying. Although we may still be young, this point in our lives shapes who we become when we are older. It's always important to live a healthy and positive life style. It hurts teenagers when they grow up with no self confidence and feeling as if they are not loved in the world. That teenager will grow into an adult, and that adult will grow into an elder. They may live their whole life with a negative view on themselves because no one stopped to tell them that they are worth it. Something I really want to point out was when you said, "If we as teenagers have a negative self-image, it could lead to damaging behaviors such as unprotected sex, the abuse of alcohol and drugs." At first that's a scary thought to think about, but it's completely true. Sometimes that is the only thing teenagers have to turn to, and it's definitely something that needs to be stopped.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Cilli
After I finished reading this post my mouth dropped because I never knew how high the statistics of suicide rate in teenagers is. It is very scary thinking that because of negative self esteem some teenagers are driven to commit serious actions. I could not agree more when you said that our view our ourselves in the mirror affects us in every aspect. The way we see ourselves everyday could possibly drives us to commit serious actions like you said. I know many teenagers who abuse the use of alcohol because they feel as if they have certain pressures that they cannot handle, which will eventually lead them to a bad road in life. A positive environment always seems to help shape us as teenagers have a good outlook on how we view ourselves and have a successful life. I never put up attention on how we as teenagers handle situations in our lives and after I read this I realized that there should be something we could do to help stop us from turning to bad things.
ReplyDeleteKatie Cardoza
Amanda, I’m glad you agree that as teenagers, we shape the rest of our lives. You are absolutely right, growing up with no self-confidence hurts teenagers immensely. Like I said, we as teens need to have a positive self-image, otherwise, we can greatly affect our lives in a negative way. Also, your correct when you say that thinking of the negative outcomes can be a scary thing; but it is reality. Teenagers turn to sex, alcohol, and drugs daily as a coping mechanism for their low self-esteem and negative self-image. Your right, it absolutely needs to be stopped.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I am happy to see that these statistics have made you think about the seriousness of negative self-image. I myself could not believe these statistics when I first read them, however, after truly analyzing them, I was not so surprised. It is not a secret that most teenagers have negative views of themselves, therefore, these statistics became more real to me when I thought about my own life and the people in it. All of my friends at one point or another have hit a low in their life; leading some of them into suicidal thoughts. None of them have acted upon them, however, I now realize there are many teenagers out there with much greater problems; leading me to the realization that these statistics are not so surprising after all. I too wish that there was something we could do to prevent this type of behavior and help others. However, what we can do, is make sure our personal friends know how special and beautiful they are.
-Veronica Ozog