Being a teenager is constantly feeling like the whole world is turning against you. Like nobody genuinely gets what you’re thinking, feeling, and going through. Unfortunately, that’s never going to change. There is never going to be a generation of teens that doesn’t feel like every turn you make is a dead end. 

Adolescentwellnessacademy.com states, “Approximately one in three teens meet the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-5) by the time they reach age eighteen”.  

When adding on the death of someone you love, an absence of presence from someone you love in your life, or even missing a tradition that you no longer partake in means having to grieve along with feeling like you can’t ever catch a break. Dealing with grief is wearying as it is. Adding the constant merry mood of people around brings even more anger and an antipathetic attitude towards any event in our daily routines.  

 The holidays are always shown and displayed as continuous joy and excitement to all. However, the media never shows what the holidays bring to people that are grieving. Having the constant reminder of the good times that occurred when a specific someone was living, or present, is extremely draining.  

 Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, New Years, and even more holidays bring sorrow and melancholy to a wider population of teens than you may think. VITAS Healthcare says that 90% of teenagers have reported, in a survey, to experience the death of a person they love. With this information, it’s safe to say that when you walk through the halls of your school, most of the people around you have had to grieve the death of someone they cared about. This indicates that most of the people around you may feel as if the holidays are a burden that they must get through. These people can feel annoyed by the smallest things. They can get angrier than usual. They can have a larger attitude than usual. All these things are caused by the lingering aura of despair caused by the emotionally depleting time of year.  

 Lilly Capron is a freshman here at Wesley Chapel High School that lost her dad to cancer 5 years ago. When asked why the holidays are harder for her, she says, “The happy memories of when he was there, and now he’s gone so there’s not as happy memories.” 

Aubrey McGlon-freshman, also says that during the holidays she likes “talking with my friends and like being with them rather than being with my family so like it can take my mind off of it.” She wishes for the support of her friends and time spent with them when grieving.  

 Please understand that if the holidays are especially hard for you because of this reason, you are not alone on this journey and you should be able to talk to your friends and people around you about these hard times. There are many places and groups that you can go to to help you through the holidays and life. For example, New River Church has a group as well as Suncoast Kids place. 

 Suncoast Kids Place has an especially good program for all ages. There is a young children’s group, middle school group, high school group, and a caretaker’s group. This group is very beneficial in giving any support needed no matter what it is. Having a group with kids your age gives you the certainty that you are not alone and that there are other people like you that have the same feelings.  

 Additionally, please be aware of the vulnerability of some of the people around you. The holidays are not an excuse for the choices that people make, but a reason for why they act the way they do. Just be courteous of the situations that may be thrown at you and make your friends feel comfortable talking to you about the things they are going through, especially during this time.