#YouthMentalHealthDay - The pressure to be okay

By Rabia Kamran

Sometimes, “How are you?” is the easiest question in the world to answer.

“I'm fine.”

It takes two seconds. Nobody asks too many questions, and the conversation moves on.

But sometimes, “fine” is simply the word we use when we don't know how to explain everything

else.

Being young can feel like standing in the middle of a hundred expectations. Get good grades.

Choose the right career. Make your family proud. Build friendships. Take opportunities. Be

confident. Be productive. Know what you want to do with your life.

And somehow, we're expected to do all of this while still figuring out who we are.

The World Health Organization estimates that around one in seven adolescents aged 10–19

experiences a mental health condition globally. Anxiety, depression and behavioural disorders

are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.

These numbers represent real people, students sitting in classrooms, young people scrolling

through their phones, friends laughing together, and teenagers wondering whether they are

somehow the only ones struggling.

When everyone seems ahead

One of the hardest parts of growing up today is comparison.

Social media makes it easy to see other people's achievements without seeing the uncertainty

behind them. We see the university acceptance, the competition win, the holiday or the

seemingly perfect group of friends.

We rarely see the difficult days.

As a result, it becomes easy to compare our ordinary moments with everyone else's highlights. A

difficult week can suddenly feel like evidence that we're falling behind.

But there is no universal timeline for growing up.

You don't need to have your entire career planned at sixteen. You don't need to turn every hobby

into an achievement. And you don't need to pretend that everything is fine because someone else

appears to have everything figured out.

Your life is not a checklist.

Taking care of yourself.

Emotional wellbeing doesn't mean feeling happy all the time. It means recognising our emotions,

coping with challenges, maintaining supportive relationships and knowing when we need help.

The WHO identifies adolescence as an important period for developing healthy emotional and

social habits, including coping and problem solving skills and the ability to manage emotions.

Supportive environments at home, at school and within communities can also protect young

people's mental health.

Wellbeing can begin with small things: taking a genuine break, getting enough sleep, spending

time with someone you trust, writing down what is on your mind, going outside, or doing

something simply because you enjoy it.

These aren't solutions to every difficulty, but they can give us space to notice how we are

actually doing.

You don't have to handle everything alone

Asking for help doesn't mean you aren't strong enough.

You don't need a perfect explanation. You can simply say:

“I've been feeling overwhelmed lately.”

“I don't really know what's wrong, but I don't feel like myself.”

“Could we talk for a while?”

Those words can be enough to begin a conversation.

If someone comes to you for support, you don't need to have all the answers either. Sometimes

listening without judgement and helping them connect with a trusted adult or professional is one

of the most meaningful things you can do.

WHO and UNICEF emphasise the importance of accessible mental health support for young

people, particularly because many mental health conditions begin during adolescence and can

remain unrecognised or untreated.

A student can be getting excellent grades and still feel overwhelmed.

A confident leader can still doubt themselves.

Someone who makes everyone laugh can still be having a difficult day.

Someone can look completely okay and still need someone to ask twice.

So perhaps we should ask young people more than, “What are you going to do?”

We should also ask: “How are you, really?”

And make it safe for them to answer honestly.

You are not behind because you haven't figured everything out.

You are not less worthy on the days when you accomplish nothing.

You are a person before you are a student, leader, athlete, applicant or friend.

You don't have to have it all together to deserve care.

References

World Health Organization. Mental Health of Adolescents.

World Health Organization & UNICEF. Mental Health of Children and Young People:

Service Guidance.