Do you ever feel overwhelmed or stressed out by things happening at school or even at home? Everybody has bad days sometimes. Life can throw curve balls at you that you never expect. Maybe you’re not getting along with your friend or maybe you didn’t make the sports team you really wanted to make. These types of problems can make you feel down and upset. This is completely normal; not every day is going to be perfect. We all go through this, so don’t feel like you’re alone.

What is most important about going through tough times is how you deal with them. You can choose to talk to other people about how you’re feeling. Whether it’s a teacher, a parent or a friend, these are all people who care about you and will listen to your problems. They want you to succeed as well. When you can’t turn to them you can always turn to yourself – don’t count yourself out.

You are your best cheerleader at the end of the day. By cheerleader I don’t mean someone  holding pom-poms. By cheerleader I mean that you have the ability to motivate yourself to do difficult things and feel better about yourself. Everybody has their own way of doing this. Maybe your way of being a cheerleader is that you like to reward yourself after accomplishing your goal or you like to mentally encourage yourself.  It’s perfectly okay to give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while. In fact, it’s healthy!

Sometimes fear can be your own worst enemy. You may be scared to try something new or don’t feel like you are capable of succeeding in a new situation. Having the confidence within yourself that you can succeed is the best way to accomplish your goals. Instead of putting yourself down, try encouraging yourself and thinking positively about a situation. Try replacing any negative feelings with positive ones. Don’t be so hard on yourself! Something as little as a change in attitude can do wonders for your self-esteem.

You know that just because you didn’t make the sports team doesn’t mean you’re not good at that sport. Maybe you can practice more and prepare yourself for tryouts next year. You also know that just because things at home haven’t been great lately that it is not your fault; sometimes other factors play a role in hard situations. Having a positive outlook on things and cheering yourself on will improve your confidence. If you start believing that you can do anything you set your mind to, you will see results. So start thinking like your own personal cheerleader!