Alright, here are two stories, sort of. Perhaps they’re even connected. First, you always hear about people having a dream or a goal that they live for, something they want to achieve in life. They also have an idea of where they want to go to college. But I don’t. I feel like a tool, something being used for something I may or may not be. I don’t even know who I am anymore. Am I living my life? Or am I living a life that someone else molded me to be? I don’t know where I want to go after high school. My parents are telling me that I need to have an idea of somewhere I want to go after high school, but I don’t know. I have no dreams or any goals I want to achieve either. I play lacrosse, but I don’t feel like I chose that on my own will. I play field hockey but again, I felt like I had to play. I keep playing because I can’t bring myself to stop. I just don’t feel like I’ve done anything on my own free will. I feel like I’m not living the life I should be living. Now the problem is I don’t know what that life is. The second problem: Lately, I’ve been feeling depressed. My self-esteem is falling. I haven’t been eating too well either. My sleep patterns are all screwed up, too. These things are probably related, but I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what’s going on anymore. I need to figure out my life and I need to discover who I am. But who really knows who they truly are?
CONSIDER THIS:
- You are not alone in wondering where you are headed after high school. Many teens and young adults struggle with this. It can seem daunting to try to figure your life out senior year.
- You have your whole life ahead of you to decide what you want to do. Think about what you enjoy doing in your free time. Perhaps you can turn a hobby into a career. A class you enjoy in high school could be a major in college.
- Life is all about the journey we are on. How our actions shape us as human beings. Some say a high power shapes who we are. Take one day at a time. Journeying can be useful way to explore interests and release stress. Write down positive things that happen each day, something you want to change and goals that you have for the week. At the end of the week look over these goals and see if you have achieved them or if you can make small changes to reach bigger goals.
- Self esteem, sleep patterns and diet are all related to mood. Make sure you are getting enough sleep by waking up and going to bed at the same time each night and getting a consistent number of hours of sleep a night (usually 6-8), eating a balanced diet.
HELP YOURSELF:
- What classes, hobbies do you enjoy now that you might be interested in taking as college classes in the future?
- What steps can you take to figure out where to go from here?
- How would talking to friends about the meaning of life and deciding on what to do after high school help? What do you think they would say?
