In my English class, we were given an interesting assignment. Write an essay called: ”Be Happy, It’s A Wonderful Habit”. It interested me because many of my classmates struggled with the title. They did not know how to discuss the reality of their classmates, their family or themselves not being happy.
I was very intrigued by this title due to my relationship with depression and anxiety through all of my teenage years. These were amplified by school and other pressures that have to do with adolescence. I’d like to share with you the essay I wrote in response to this assignment.
Happiness is an emotion that people mistake for a destination. In Ireland, people will find any reason to put off looking after their mind properly. Finding happiness in life is one of the most important attributes to being successful, being comfortable and being satisfied. Happiness is a new mindset, about having an open mind and being confident in your mind and in your body to know what you want. Happiness is an easy thing to come by if you let it in.
As Teeangers, when we are unhappy with something we either take a stand or we let it consume us. We do everything to distract our mind to appear ‘normal’. Teenagers often have a few close friends they can trust and confide in. But with no support the young person has no escape. People often forget how hard adolescence is and forget the pressures teenagers face. Suicide rates are worrying, the demand for support facilities for young people are rapidly increasing and the amount of people turning their heads away from these problems is astonishing.
We are given instruction on finding happiness, but we are not given the tools to cope when we can’t find it. We are told to meditate, be active, keep your mind busy, take medication – but never really told to sit down and discuss it unless you are at breaking point. There are so many pressures in teenage life and many are forgotten: bullying, pressure to fit in, be popular, be pretty, be smart and be ‘normal’.
We are given no positive reassurance by the world surrounding us because ‘everyone is a teenager one and has to go through this’. No one is the same, no one experiences things the same way, no one has the same mind so why should we all be categorised as a problem everyone has. Finding happiness in a world with more violence than sense, more sexism, more inequality, is like finding a needle in a haystack.
To be happy in Ireland as a young person you have to be able to cope. Coping isn’t putting on a brave face, coping is letting yourself feel the sadness, feel the anger, feel the jealousy – but most importantly feel the love, feel the happiness, feel the admiration, feel the appreciation, feel the contentment, feel the ambition, feel the excitement and feel the fulfilment. Don’t be afraid to feel because you are the only one that can feel it. Let it in.
To be happy in Ireland as a young person you have to be able to accept. Everyone is different. To live a life of happiness you have to learn to accept yourself, accept every race, accept every disability, accept every sexuality, accept every gender and accept every mind. A world of judgement, hatred and antisocial behaviour is not a world I want to live in but when you have your own little world you don’t have to be a part of it. Be your own person.
To be happy as a young person in Ireland, you have to care for your own mind. You have to learn to let go and understand that it gets better. You will succeed, you will conquer your dreams and you will work for what you want no matter how hard it gets. It starts with ambition and a good thought in your well-nurtured mind.
Growing up in Ireland is hard due to the lack of resources, the lack of social hubs, the lack of psychological care and the lack of urgency to help makes it hard to be satisfied with your lack of support and no way to get professional help unless you are on a waiting list for months.
“Being happy is a wonderful habit” – but it’s hard to accomplish when you are a number on a waiting list, urgent care is not being taken seriously in this country and as a community, a population and an admired country we have to find happiness in ourselves and help others find their true happiness.
Help information
If you need help please talk to friends, family, a GP, therapist or one of the free confidential helpline services. For a full list of national mental health services see yourmentalhealth.ie.
- Samaritans on their free confidential 24/7 helpline on 116-123, by emailing jo@samaritans.ie
- Pieta House National Suicide Helpline 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie – (suicide prevention, self-harm, bereavement) or text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply)
- Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
If living in Ireland you can find accredited therapists in your area here:
Support Our Campaign
We rely on the generosity of the public to fund our work and so far together we have achieved great things! Please do continue to support us so we can provide future generations in Ireland with the resources to recognise and talk about their emotions, and equip them to navigate the ever-changing world around them as they grow
