Do you feel like sometimes your world comes crashing down and there is nothing you can do?  Like no one understands what you go through?  Well, most teenagers go through this or have felt like this at least once or twice in their life.  With school, friends, and other things going on, it’s hard trying to make time for other things.  This can cause stress, and in some rare cases, people’s self esteem can hit rock bottom.
 

 

Sometimes, you don’t know if you have low self esteem or not.  It may just be that you’re sad about something, or maybe something has been bugging you for quite a while.  You don’t automatically know if you have low self esteem or not.
 

 

When people have low self esteem, it doesn’t mean they want to kill themselves or they are "emo."  When someone has low self esteem, they feel down on themselves.  In other words, they blame themselves for things that happen even if they have nothing to do with them, or they feel bad about themselves without even noticing.  They might think and say a lot or negative things.

 

I am no expert, nor do I claim to know everything there is to know about it, but I was a victim of low self esteem.  It happened when I was younger.  I didn’t talk to a lot of people, and when I did, I didn’t even want to look at them straight in the eye.  It was bad.  I even remember calling myself fat when I was barely seven years old.  How could I call myself fat when I barely weighed 70 pounds?
 

 

It’s important to take it seriously, because maybe one of your closest friends or relatives can be suffering from this issue.  People with low self esteem tend to not tell others that they have this issue because they lack the confidence and don’t trust others.

Here at Norte Vista, the school psychologist, Ms. Jo Anne Healey, suggests that if you know someone with low self esteem, you should try listening to them.  Whether it’s problems that they’re having or just how their day went, your friends need you to listen to them.
 

 

If you are having trouble talking about these issues with your friends, you could also tell a trusted adult.  Just remember, you are not alone.  Many people feel the same way, if not worse.  "Hang in there!" said Healey.  "It is only a temporary problem.  Things will eventually work out.  Stay active and do things you enjoy doing."
 

 

I know that it seems like no one will understand exactly how you feel if you have low self esteem, but it doesn’t hurt to talk about it.  It makes you feel better when you let out your true feelings.

 

All I have to say is hang in there and don’t just give up because giving up never solves any problem in life.  The problems will still be there.  Making yourself feel bad doesn’t get you anywhere, either.  In order to move forward and fix this problem, you should honestly and completely love yourself for whom and what you are.