High school is very hard for almost every teenager. It’s probably going to be one of the hardest and greatest times of your life. A place where sadness, depression, happiness, love, stress, anger, and probably a few more emotions form together to make your teenage years both amazing and a living hell. These years will shape you into the person you’ll likely be for the rest of your life. With that being said, you shouldn’t worry about the small things, the irrational thoughts or insecurities that plague everyone, especially during high school. 

Your mind likes to mess with you. As much good as your mind does, it does equal parts bad. This is proven as well, “And that is due to the brain’s ‘negative bias:’ Your brain is simply built with a greater sensitivity to unpleasant news,” according to the article “Our Brain’s Negative Bias” on psychologytoday.com. “The bias is so automatic that it can be detected at the earliest stage of the brain’s information processing.”

Everyone desires to be happy, and your mind does too, but sometimes it just won’t let you. When you’re trying to relax, work or function as a normal human being, your mind will poke at you and turn on some of the bad emotions. 

Your mind fixates on events, things, or insecurities that don’t matter. When you think you did bad on your test, your mind’s on that. When you worry about the way you look in those clothes, your mind’s on that too. When you wonder if you’re ever going to be any taller, your mind is definitely on that.

 These are irrational insecurities, things that don’t actually matter, that your mind prioritizes.  I know one might think they matter, but in reality, they really don’t. What you need to remember is that it is all in your head.

 Once one is self-aware of their mind’s trickery, their high school life will be automatically better. Venice students feel the exact same as well. 

Junior Maria Mejia talked about her insecurities, mainly body hair and height. “I know it doesn’t matter, that no one cares. But like, I make myself care more than I should.” I also asked her how often those insecurities bother her, and she said pretty often. 

Another Venice student, junior Nayelli Flores, talked about her irrational insecurities: “Physical insecurities like my acne, or the way I’m dressed, how I look in it… how fat my stomach is or my emotional sensitivity.” She said that those, “are insecurities that I feel don’t really matter in the long run. They tend to stay in the background of my thoughts, but creep up on me whenever I compare myself to other people.”

 The consensus is that everyone has insecurities that they know don’t actually matter, but still can’t escape the grasp their mind has on them.

If your mind tries to make you fixate on something that you know, deep down, doesn’t matter, I have some personal tips to help you. 

1. You want to take some deep breaths.  It’ll calm you down and take you away from the state your mind is putting you in. 
2. Talk to yourself, say the problem out loud, or have someone say it to you. You’ll realize how silly or irrational it is. 
3. Lastly, just remember it is all in your head. Being self-aware is key, and the realization that your mind is trying to mess with you will definitely make the situation better, and you can get back to the good parts of high school.

There are also some proven methods to help you as well, such as, “Consider negativity as a red flag,”  according to operationmeditation.com, “Turn negativity into affirmation. Meditate and be mindful of your strengths and weaknesses. Ask for advice. Be kind to yourself.” 

Everyone has irrational thoughts and insecurities that make us feel horrible, but you’re a teen; you deserve to be happy and not stress over the little things. Just know it’s all going to be okay… it’s all in your head.