Not sure if anxiety or teen phase

[random11939403039]

Hi there . I've been experiencing irrational thoughts a lot lately so im not sure if this is from anxiety or just teen stuff (im 17). I keep thinking that im not behaving like im supposed to at my age. So i think im being too serious at time and im aftaid peoplemy age will judge me and see me as a child or sonething i dont know ... please help

[Hidden]

Hello

Teen years can be very difficult and what you are feeling can be typical how so many around your age group feel just some are more sensitive to their feelings than others

Have you any friends you could talk to & confide in or a family member ?

If you are really concerned your Doctor would be great to have a talk to they would not judge you as they will have had so may teens feeling like you do but would help & give advise how you can get though this stage in your life

Take Care x

[spanglishy]

Maybe its just that you're 'thinking' too much. I think we all get irrational thoughts. If you can just accept them as irrational cos you KNOW they are irrational. The problem would be if you were thinking they were 'rational' when, to anyone else they weren't. Do you see what I mean? You sound perfectly sane to me. I went through a stage at your age where I thought I was too serious but you cant be, we're all a mix of lots of emotions and sometimes we're more serious than others. It's normal.

Shift your focus away from this. When an irrational thought comes into your head say thanks to it and let it go. Then focus on something you really love, like an animal or a book you like reading or some fantastic music. Give your subconscious mind something else to think about other than this worry.

The other thing that bothers me is you saying that you're not behaving how you're supposed to at your age!!! I'm 66 and I NEVER behave how I'm supposed to!!! There is NO supposed to. You are you, not what society/ friends tells you you're supposed to be. So enjoy being who you are.

All the Best x

[random11939403039 in reply to spanglishy]

Thank you i feel much better now that i read this

[spanglishy in reply to random11939403039]

You are very welcome, enjoy. I send you a whole bunch of beautiful 'virtual' flowers.

[Suehyp]

Hi, I'm a therapist; I work with people with anxiety

I can't say whether this is full blown anxiety or just a teenage phase but if we can sort it out now it won't get any further

You're describing social anxiety (a fear of being judged). We all have that to some degree but during puberty and our teens and early 20s it is often at its worst

You need to realise that you are making these issues up, they're not real...people aren't telling you you're not good enough, they're not having a go at you, you're putting words into their mouths

Start telling yourself that they like you instead (you have no evidence that they don't and this new thought is much more helpfu, although it'll seem a bit silly to start withl). You'll have to work hard but if you do it consistently you will feel better

These thoughts are a reflection of how you feel about yourself (you have low self esteem), so you can also spend the last 5 minutes of your day, before you drop off to sleep in bed, thinking of 3 things that went well that day and how you helped or made those things happen, this should improve your self esteem too

Wishing you all the best

Sue

[random11939403039 in reply to Suehyp]

Thank you !

[maggie91]

Love yourself. Be yourself. You are unique. No one will be like you. We are all individuals, not a copy of anyone else. As you grow, You will realize you have to do and think about what you want. Everybody has to. What works for you won't always work for anothet person. That's not to say you cant talk to friends, relatives, parents or teachers for advise. Everybody has their issues, feelings and doubts and that's part of life no matter how old you are. What is right for you might not be right for some one else. Enjoy each day and stop worrying.