Troubled Teens Lack Self Confidence

A characteristic that troubled teens have in common is lack of self-confidence. Though lack of self-confidence can certainly bode ill for teen boys, teen girls are especially vulnerable to messages that can lead them astray. If a teen uses the arbitrary and unfair standards that the MTV and Hollywood culture attempt to present as the norm, she will never feel that she can measure up. Young teen girls who so terribly need affirmation may seek to find that comfort by allowing herself to get involved in sex at an age when she is ill prepared to handle it. Stay Teen, a teen help site that seeks to guide young girls towards realizing their true worth and potential, has some simple advice.

Know Yourself First

“…before you can even think about starting to get to know someone else, doesn’t it make sense to get to know yourself? Having self confidence is the first step in helping to make your future relationships healthy and long-lasting.” Associate with positive, supportive people. If your friends are constantly down on themselves (or you), how can you keep a good attitude? Stop comparing yourself to others. Yeah, she might have a gorgeous new car and he might be getting straight A’s, but do you know what’s going on behind the scenes in their lives? You rarely know the full story about someone else, so don’t assume that you’re worse off, unluckier, less gifted than they are. Stop putting yourself down. Most people say things to themselves that they would NEVER let a stranger (or even a close friend) say to them. You should be your biggest advocate, not your biggest critic. (unknown source) October 29th, 2007 by Ann Walker