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Results for 09/25/2006 to 10/18/2006
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Last week, afraid to cry said:
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"Hey, I'm just a kid!
My mom is addicted to pain killers. She has relapsed countless times. It's hard to trust her. I always wonder if she is on them. I'm sad, mad, and scared. I have three older siblings. Two who are always gone, and one who is hard to talk to. I want to be a kid; I want to have fun; I want to forget. But financial things aren't good, and neither are things with mom and dad. I am seeing a counselor about this, but it doesn't seem like it's helping. These past few days, it has been just me and her, with my siblings at sports or work and my dad on a business trip. I don't like talking to her, and I have no one else to talk to. My friends are all out of town or busy. I guess I can say that I am getting a little depressed, because I always feel like I want to cry. But the truth is, I'm afraid to. I'm afraid once I start to cry I will become weak and I will crumble. I have to be strong; there isn't really a choice. This is really hard and I don't know what to do or what to say to anyone. Please help me!"
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435 SmartGirls replied:
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It's normal! When things get stressful in life it is normal to want to breakdown and cry. Some people view it as a way to release what's going on inside and actually feel better after they have released their stress! But remember, it is not a sign of weakness. It takes a strong person to know they can cry when they need or want to. |
| 21% |
Start a journal! Sometimes writing down your feelings can be comforting. It is a way to keep in touch with yourself and have someone to talk to, (yourself!) It will also be helpful when you go back to look over your journal entries to see how you were feeling and know you will not always feel that way. Also, you might use your journals to show your parents or counselor to show them how you feel instead of telling them. |
| 5% |
Find a new hobby! Learn a new sport, take a dance class, do something that can occupy your time so you are not always focused on the issues at home. This could also be a good way to find out something new and interesting about yourself that you like to do! |
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Be a kid! Even though you feel like you need to do something to help the situation, remember that you are a kid! Remember that you don't have to solve everything. Enjoy your time as a kid. Take care of the things you can and leave the other problems to the adults. |
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52% gave other responses. Some SmartGirls said:
Oh hun. I lost my Nan back in July I felt the same as you I didn't want to cry. Then I just let it all out and I felt tired. If you need to cry so be it. Join a support group or a youth group. It will keep you busy and you'll do fun things and make new friends. Good luck-Kate. The journal is a huge help... it helps get things out, really. But FIND a place to let the tears out... if you push them down it WILL turn into depression or make you really sick in too many ways. I've been where you are and ALA-teen helped me the most to get the fact that other people's drug or alcohol problems are not MY problem... and I don't have to stop living my life because of the choices they make. Look up ALA-teen in your area... meetings or on-line sessions help on a huge level. It's about YOU being ok with YOU in the middle of whatever storms come or are around you. Not just now, but skills for life. There will always be storms... or people that act in ways we don't get. WE have the choice of how we handle it. GET BUSY!! Don't sit life out, you're just getting to the fun part!! Take care of YOU, Brianna My advice: Maybe try talking to your mom. Try spending some time with her, and try to get her away from pain killers! I hope it works out for both you and your mom!
Thanks to all of you that gave your advice! Please give your
advice for this week's issue.
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The advice represented on this page is the opinion of SmartGirl
users who have responded to last week's Issue of the Week. It is not the
opinion of SmartGirl.org or the University of Michigan.
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