Talks With A Teen #4 (ft. Questions From A Teenager)

Hey Dudes,

And welcome back to Talks With A Teen! I hope you’ve all been enjoying it so far? I know I have! – Lemme know down below what you think!

So todayyy we’ve got the lovely, awesome, soul sister FIONA @QuestionsFromATeenager joining us so be sure to make her feel very welcome and go and check out her awesome blog!

The topic of todays Talk issss –

Risk is a temptation for teens

Now lets hear what Fiona thinks!

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When I first started thinking about and researching this topic, one thought sprung to mind immediately – what do I define a risk as? My first instinct: Something that could potentially harm me (or something important to me), something that can pay off, but can also potentially play out badly. But then I started to think beyond the definition of ‘danger’ and started thinking about the risks I take in everyday life. That thought led me to believe that risks are purely subjective. What may seem like a risk to one, might not be one for another.

Stepping out of my comfort zone came to mind for example. I suffer from social anxiety, so I deem most social events I am invited to as a risk. Something could go south, I could make a fool out of myself,… the list of things that could go wrong goes on and on. So, to me, a classic college party would be a risk. Is it a risk I am tempted by? It depends. There is (of course) that sliver of a possibility that I might actually enjoy myself and get to know more people, so the game of weighing my chances begins; Will I push myself to take the risk or stay in the comfort of my own home? For some, this might seem like a laughable cause to overthink something as simple as a party and yet that’s exactly the point – some don’t feel like they are “risking” anything by simply going to an event, others (like myself) on the other hand do.

Where am I going with this? As a teenager, I have always felt a lot of pressure in my life, whether it be from school, myself or my peers. The “teenage years” in general are one (what feels like) gigantic period of trying out new things, growing from experiences and learning…a lot. So when you look at that period in regard to risk-taking, I would say that yes, most teenagers are programmed to take risks. Why? Because sometimes we need to take a risk in order to even know that it is a risk. Maybe it turns into a mistake we can learn from. But maybe, just maybe, it is the best thing we could have ever done for ourselves. My point is, you won’t know until you’ve tried. As teens, more often than not, we are constantly told what we shouldn’t do – the unknown will always spark a natural sense of curiosity within us. Sometimes you just need to learn lessons by yourself.

With adulthood creeping nearer every second, I now find myself pulling back more and more when it comes to risks that I face. I am becoming more careful, one could say. Part of the reason for this I attribute to the fact that the older you get, the more high-stakes the risk can be. Or maybe I’m just more aware of them now? Whatever the cause, I would like to end this by saying that risks get a bad reputation a lot of the time. They are a leap into the unknown and whatever the outcome, we are guaranteed to learn from them. So take risks when it feels right and use those risks-gone-bad as a chance to grow and evolve. One thing I know for sure? People usually never come far by not risking anything.

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My thoughts  – 

Okay, I 100% agree completely with Fiona so I guess there isn’t much left to say on my part. I think that risks contribute to the making of a person and without them, you truly cannot become a well rounded human being. Being risky and dangerous are 2 different things and its good to be able to identify the difference between the two before getting into something drastic. Risks need to happen  – its a part of life and it needs to be rid of it’s negative stereotype and be embraced for the good it does do, for example teaching you a lesson as said above.

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What do you guys think of mine and Fiona’s opinion? Be sure to let us know down below

That’s about it for this blog post! (comment “Umbrella” if you’ve read this far)

Remember that if you’d like to be a part of this series then please email me and I’ll give you a topic!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog post and I’ll see you again soon with another one!

Love,

Alex – The Awkward Expert🌺♥