You often feel scared about sharing your feelings or talking about the things you’ve gone through or are still going through. Why? It’s because of your age. These thoughts keep running in your head, and it becomes frustrating. You already have so much going on, and this fear adds to your overthinking.
You want to open up about the stress and anxiety you’re feeling—it’s weighing heavily on you. You want to let it all out, but at the same time, you’re afraid of the criticism you might face from others, even those close to you. They may not have said anything directly, but their words and behavior make you feel like they’ll judge you if you share. You imagine them saying things like:
"That's it? You’re just overthinking."
"There’s nothing wrong with you."
"You’re too young to feel that way."
"You don’t know what real problems are."
"You’re making this up in your head."
"Stop stressing over nothing."
"You don’t know the meaning of struggle."
"Wait until you’re older; then you’ll understand."
These words, even if unsaid, haunt you. You’re scared they’ll make fun of your feelings, dismiss your struggles, or act like you have no right to feel this way because of your age.
But let me tell you something: these people don’t understand what real struggles are. They don’t realize that hardships aren’t about age—they’re about what people go through and how they cope. Yes, life brings challenges at different stages, but dismissing someone’s feelings just because they’re young is wrong. Everyone deserves to be heard. Sometimes, all someone needs to hear is, “It’s okay to feel this way.”
Don’t waste your energy on people who make you doubt yourself or worsen your feelings.
I don’t know what you’ve gone through or are going through now. I don’t know you personally. But I want to tell you this: don’t let the negative words of others drag you down. Focus on protecting your energy and finding people who understand and care.
