The problem with most teenagers who get depressed often, is that they continue their unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms while wondering why nothing is changing. I feel like I can say this with confidence because I was (and still sometimes am) guilty of this.

When you’re feeling depressed, it’s very easy to make yourself even more so by intensifying the depressive thoughts and slowly almost deluding yourself into misery. It’s not easy to think positive when your life is falling apart, nor is it realistic, but I’m not saying that’s what people should do 100 percent of the time.

What I am trying to get at, however, is that you have to do something uncomfortable to get out of your uncomfortable state. It’s not a simple process to think of the positives that every situation presents you, and plan the next step that’s in your best interest when you’re so deep in sorrow. But doing that can take you one step closer and is progress for you. It’s not easy, and it’s not comfortable, but it is worth it.

There are plenty of instances that seemed like the end of the world at the time, but you ended up working through them. Keeping that in mind through every negative experience that you encounter is just one example of a positive thought. Just keep little reminders and affirmations in the back of your mind so you can use them in a bad situation.

With that being said, it is healthiest to allow your mind to process your emotions; even those negative. It’s okay to allow yourself to feel sad, but when things begin to turn past just typical sadness is when you need to take action.

Convincing yourself of something with constant mental repetition is extremely common, as in many cases we have convinced ourselves that things are worse than they actually are. We can do the opposite by training our brains to think positively when it is the most difficult.