DEPRESSION
If feelings of guilt grow, they lead to strong feelings of
sadness, called depression. Depressed people feel guilty, angry and hurt. And they
are often
unable to say why. Fortunately, young people
seldom feel that sad. All people are sad now and then, but mostly for short periods of time. Feeling sad once in a while is
perfectly normal. If you feel sad it is
worth looking at your whole situation carefully,
talking it over with an adult, and seeing if there is something you can do to
solve the problem.
LONELINESS
Everyone feels lonely some of the time. Loneliness is a feeling just like anger or sadness or joy. When people feel lonely they may decide that they are
unlovable, and think that they are not worthy of their friends. Try to understand that everyone is lonely sometimes. Try to
accept what you can change and do your best to improve what you can. You may have decided that with all the trouble feelings can create the best thing to do is
to limit your feelings by
limiting your involvement with others. That's not a good idea because if you don't
get involved, you miss
the chance to share happiness with others. And then you are sure
to be lonely. Emotions are a part of life and none can
avoid them. Understand your feelings, know what they are and know how
to deal with them. In the
end it is the only way to be happy.
ABOUT PUTTING YOURSELF DOWN
At one time or another every kid feels inadequate, more stupid, less attractive, less talented and inferior all the way around to others. There are lots of reasons why kids feel this way. This part of the tape will show you how to manage these feelings.
What you may not know is that kids are supposed to be inadequate, compared to most adults. That is what growing up is all about. Adults usually know what they can do well and concentrate on those things. An adult doing what he does best looks like he knows what he is doing and he should. He's been doing it for years. On the other hand kids are not supposed to know what they can do well. They are not supposed to know what they like yet. They are not supposed to concentrate on one or two things and let the others go. As a normal, adequate, healthy kid you will search for your best self. Try activities, subjects in school, sports, musical instruments, and other things. As long as you keep looking you are fine. It is also important to remember that none is good at everything. And you don't have to be good at everything in order to be a success. It is important to recognize that no adult expects another adult to be good at everything. After all that would be asking too much. Ask any adult. When a kid says that he is good at nothing at all, this just means he hasn't found the thing he really likes and can do well. He is still looking. The real advantage of shopping around and looking when you are young is that when you are older you can make the best decisions. The fact is everybody is good at something. It sometimes takes time to find out what it is. That's the whole point about growing up. Don't worry if you don't know what to do, or can't find anything you’re good at, just keep looking. Give each new activity you try a good fair trial.