Many youth experience feelings of depression and anxiety. There are plenty of new experiences we face during our teen years such as going to new schools, developing friendships and relationships, navigating the stages between childhood and adulthood, planning our futures, home life, and exploring our independence and identities. We have had to navigate through all of these whilst living through a pandemic, which has increased our stress levels and decreased our ability to access resources and social interactions.

These experiences can already be extremely overwhelming, but the added stress of the pandemic, can have an immense impact on our mental health and wellness, and be a struggle to cope with. What I have learned from this time is that we need to open up to each other about our experiences and emotions, and when these emotions become too much, be able to recognize when to get help.

Seeking support is one important step in understanding and bettering our mental health, along with becoming more emotionally intelligent and self-aware.

I would recommend asking your school or community counselors for support or resources to help your mental wellbeing. We all have our own struggles and should never compare the significance of them to others’.