Online therapy is a new form of counseling that not only adults but also teenagers are looking into – and for a valid reason. “Since you will be attending therapy sessions online in the comfort of your own home, you can often schedule your therapy sessions for times that are the most convenient for you,” said Kendra Cherry, MS. After all, the age range of youngsters who develop depression or anxiety continues to expand, but how people think about others who obtain psychological help has not changed much in some places. The troubled kids tend to feel more isolated, especially when the bullies figure out their issues and use it to make fun of them. Thus, the situation may not become tensed at all if the only folks who know about the mental health problem are the adolescent, their family, and the online therapist.
Nevertheless, the real deal is that bullying is merely one of the many issues that teens experience. Another matter that tends to bother adolescents more often than not is the plethora of social norms that everyone expects them to follow. When you ask elders why, though, it is rare to receive a straightforward answer since they may have believed such things blindly from childhood as well.
Now, even at a young age, you may already see that not all social norms can be good for you. If we are honest, a few of them might lead you towards a dark, dangerous path. In a female friend’s household, for instance, the mature members of the family assume supposed to make the “right” decision for the youngsters. Once she entered the university, they insisted that she should go to med school instead of majoring in Fine Arts, which was – and still is – her first love. Her loved ones’ choice prevailed, but she ended up acquiring major depression a couple of years later because of it.
To avoid messing up your mental state, therefore, you ought to know the social norms that may be worth breaking early.
1. Caring Too Much About Others’ Opinions
The first norm that you need to avoid is the thought that you have to accept criticisms from anyone who wishes to give it to you, especially if they are from the elders. The harsh reality is that they think they know more than you do, but that cannot be real because you don’t lead the same life. Since it is still not okay to talk back to the oldies, though, you can act as if you agree with their comments yet continue to live like you did not hear their words.
2. Going With The Flow All The Time
Following the voice of the majority mostly works when it comes to the foods you will eat with friends or the places you should visit. Despite that, when talking about things that will undeniably affect the rest of your life – e.g., which university to go to or what degree to pursue – you should listen to yourself instead. Others can offer their two cents as much as they want, but the final decision should come from you.
3. Taking The Easy Route
There has always been a debate between what is right and what is easy. Some think that it is more practical to go with the latter, especially if you are unsure of your actions or you cannot afford to go through another hardship. However, others argue that the circumstances will be in your favor in the long run once you do the proper thing – and that is the truth. “Weigh risks against benefits,” suggests Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D.
4. Letting Others Grab Opportunities That Are Supposed To Be Yours
Even for teenagers, it is common to see someone full of talents back out of competitions to allow their best friend to enter. In their mind, that is more justifiable than going against the person they care for a lot.
The problem with this noble act, though, is that you are forcibly closing the doors that opened for you. That is not how successful people came to be. Therefore, you should not be afraid of competing against anyone if you want to get somewhere in life as well.
Final Thoughts
The primary reason why social norms exist is that everyone needs to learn how to act practically like a human being in a society. Some of them are amazing since they teach people how to say “sorry” or “thank you” on different occasions. However, there are also a few ideas (as seen above) that may seem acceptable at first glance but can honestly either put you in danger or prevent you from achieving success. “In an ideal world, love is fair, equal, reciprocated, and unchanging. But the hard truth of life is that your reality is not always the same as other people’s reality,” explained Kimberly Russell M.A., M.S.Ed.
Think about such breakable social norms now to be able to reach your full potential without hindrance. Cheers!