The Courage to Overcome

The Courage to Overcome

Seven powerful journaling tools for teens in crisis.

By Rebecca Edwards

“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”—Maya Angelou

Over that past year and a half, we have all seen that life can have enormous obstacles that we must learn to navigate. The pandemic created situations where we were all affected. We experienced various traumas and setbacks, including losing loved ones. Families lost jobs, careers, vacations, graduations, milestones, celebrations, and for many, a heartbreaking disconnection from our daily routines that we needed as a part of our sense of belonging to a group or community. These obstacles have been challenging for our teens. I have witnessed this firsthand as I have two teenage daughters of my own. I have watched them pivot through fear of the future, where and how they would fit in, and how the world would look moving forward. During this crucial time, there was an uptick in teen suicide, overdose and the need for mental health services among our teens increased at an alarming rate. Teens who have experienced these crises or sudden traumas may not have the necessary life skills or language to communicate their needs effectively. We need to listen to what they cannot say. As a writer of transformational content, my research kept bringing me back to one profound thing teens said: they want to be heard. They wanted the adults in their life to be fully present to listen to their fears. They were asking their families and loved ones to listen to them without solving their problems. They were looking for compassion and comfort as they were seeking solutions to overcome what they were facing. Experiencing crisis was all too familiar to me because, as a teen, my life was riddled with trauma. Being an advocate and an author, I decided to dive into what I could write about to help connect our teens to their inner voice by bridging their gap from where they are to where they want to be so that they could pivot and rewrite their stories. I circled back to how vital journaling was as a tool to help my teenage mind process what my heart was feeling and experiencing. As a teen, journaling helped me gain a new understanding of what I was going through and what I was capable of achieving—despite what had happened to me. Journaling can have a profound impact on reframing emotional limits and clarifying mental obstacles. Below, I have summarized seven powerful journaling tools from my new book—The NETT, The New Evolution in Thinking for Teens, 7 Powerful Tools to Help You Rise Above Trauma—that can help teens let go of what was lost and find a renewed enthusiasm for taking action steps to embark on a courageous journey of acceptance and change.

THE JOURNALING TOOLS FOR TEENS

1. Uncover Your Truth— Who are You?

How do you see yourself in the mirror? Do you see only labels, disappointments, setbacks, and failure? If you discard outdated beliefs that are no longer valid and learn to rewrite every negative opinion, you can dig deeper and find the hero waiting within you. Write down who you desire to be and list action steps that you will benefit from applying in your daily life.

2. Create a New Paradigm of Thinking

A paradigm is a fancy word for a pattern. If you shift your thinking and make adjustments in how you are speaking to yourself, you can create a healthy connection to the inner voice that can empower you to make better choices based on new information. Write about how you can silence the inner critic and learn to change the way you speak to yourself and about yourself.

3. What Beliefs Do You Have About What You Can Become?

Your beliefs are yours to change. No one can do that for you. If you have had setbacks and disappointments, you may believe that you are different or that what you truly desire is unavailable. When, in fact, what sets us apart actually connects us to those around us. When you find and connect with those who support your heart’s desires, you will see that what you thought was impossible is possible. Write about things that empower you, excite you, and how different life would be if you believed you had the right attitude to go after the dreams rooted deeply in your heart and soul.

4. Embrace Personal & Spiritual Growth

Change and growth can feel scary, and it is OK to feel multiple mixed emotions while you are in the process of

growing. Shedding old, outdated beliefs about yourself and what you can accomplish is vital to reframing your ability to process anger, fear, and sadness. When you can put these powerful emotions in perspective, it allows you to hold space for the new seeds of consciousness that are blooming. Write about what you could do if you were fearless about pursuing your dream life. No matter how silly or farfetched it seems, write it all down. Have fun with this one.

5. Have the Courage to Be Yourself

Please don’t compare your life, experiences, family, goals, values, looks, or self-worth to anyone else—they are not you. Everyone has a different starting point and an ending. You have a purpose and a place in this life that belongs to you and only you. Write a letter to yourself as the person you desire to become. Encourage yourself to put forth the effort that it would take to reach your pinnacle of success.

6. Explore All Your Possibilities

Have you given up on miracles? Do you argue for your limitations, or do you set yourself up for success? Do you think you are not worthy of the time and self-discipline it will take to reach your goals? Life will not always be easy, and there will be setbacks along the way, but if you have a solid foundation to build upon, you can navigate around any obstacle that comes along. You alone harness the power to rise above any challenge. Write about all the fantastic things about yourself, dig deep and go for it. Then write those things on Post-it notes and put them everywhere to remind you how strong, courageous, and brilliant you are.

7. Leap Into the Unknown

How do you know what you are capable of if you don’t try? What if you transformed those thoughts of “what if I fail” into “what if I thrive?” What if everything you are afraid of turns out to be a blessing and sets you up for success? What if exploring all the possibilities created the life you desire to live? Write about what fears are holding you back from reaching your goals. If you write them out, you can talk to someone who has had experience in overcoming them. Much like a math equation, if you write down the steps, you will eventually find the solution to the problem. “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”—Wayne Dyer

With the proper mindset, you will have the inner strength, the courage, and the endurance to overcome any obstacles that have come into your path. You are not alone in your quest. If you have a more in-depth understanding of who you are, you will find compassion for the parts of you that are still healing, growing, and learning. And remember this: you are resilient, strong, and worthy of pursuing every dream in your heart.

Rebecca Edwards is the author of The NETT, The New Evolution in Thinking for Teens. 7 Powerful Tools to Help You Rise Above Trauma. Rebecca has dedicated her talents to speaking and writing as an advocate for teens with trauma and mental health challenges. This passion has helped her use her life experiences with childhood trauma, family drama, and addiction recovery to help teens reframe the negative aspects of adversity into powerful tools of self-acceptance and self-discovery. Rebecca is a contributor to multiple online magazines where she speaks openly on how important journaling was in overcoming obstacles to reach her inner peace and spiritual transformation.

The NETT can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel in softcover and as an E-book. Her vision for the book is to become a part of the creative writing curriculum at Recovery High Schools across the nation to help teens in recovery. Find out more at: https://www.rebeccaledwards.com. Contact Rebecca by email at: Rebecca@rebeccaledwards.com