Q: Hi Natalie,
This is a bit personal, and I'm kind of scared to write about this, but here I go. I am almost 16 years old. I'm an introvert and very quiet. I love animals and inspirational music. But lately, I've felt like I get really annoyed quite easily, and then I'll be fine in a few minutes. Sometimes I feel like I'm faking "being happy" but others, not so much. In school sometimes I break down and cry. I just can't deal with the pressure of people around me and lately I've needed more and more distance from my best friend who I love tremendously. She's been my best friend for a long time and I've laughed with her more times than I can remember. I just feel bad when I keep my distance, and she's been hanging around with the "popular" kids, or so she calls them, and you know, she can hang around with whoever she wants, I realize that I'm not her only friend, but she's changed a lot from being around them. And not to say she can't make her own choices, because she can, I just feel like she's abandoning me and I don't know how to feel about it. I'm probably just over reacting, but still. Also, I have a foreign exchange student living with me for the moment at home and every little thing she does starts to bug me. It's horrible, because she's super nice, but it's just me. And I think that stress is overlapping with my school life. Basically, I'm afraid of being bipolar. More and more lately I've had to tell myself to calm down, and the only real way I can is by listening to music. Especially Peter Bradley Adams, I've just been able to calm down. I don't know what to do, because I feel like I'm just digging myself into a deeper hole for barely any big reason at all. I feel like other people would be able to react better than I am and I'm just scared. I've talked to one of my friends about this, and that helped, but she agrees with me that maybe I am bipolar. I don't want to go see a therapist or talk to my parents, because I don't want to cause any more stress. I just need some advice to be able to get through high school. I'm thinking that once I go to college and learn how to do something I want to do in life, and away from everything I have right now, life may be better and I may be able to be distant enough from all of it to really see that it wasn't all that bad. Do you have any advice for me Natalie?

Sorry to have written so much, you don't have to answer this is you don't want to/can't.

- M

A:
I think it's wonderful that you're able to recognize the fact that maybe, from a different perspective, what you're going through now really is just a fog of stress and hormones.
I too, and I can promise you that every other high school girl out there, goes through this exact phase. You're not alone lovely!
First, please don't label yourself Bipolar - that's definitely not one of your worries. Bipolarism is a disorder, often genetic. I went through a phase too where I could have sworn I had a problem that was above me, I was looking for anything to label myself with to make an excuse for feeling like this. Honestly though, as I've now made it through high school, I do realise it really is just every single stressful thing that is involved in growing up. It builds up and causes you to feel isolated, vulnerable, very insecure, moody (and cranky!) What's helped me cope is music as well. Try to find ways in which make you feel secure and grounded. Horses, music, books, hikes, drawing... anything you're into and like doing. Just involve yourself and distract yourself with something that makes you feel like YOU.
Often I found that the more I hung around people and stressed over my homework and pushed through everyday feeling like I was just stuck in this routine of stress, I would be absolutely overloaded by the end of the day and feel every single thing you described. But then, I would force myself to go out to the barn, put headphones in my ears and tune the world out for a little while. This does absolute WONDERS. It just lets you escape for a little while and reground yourself. Even if you can just sit in your room alone for 10 minutes a day and designate this time for you and immersing yourself in Peter Bradley Adams (whom because of your suggestion, I now really like! Thank you!)
It really does help and you'll find yourself better able to cope with everything else around you if you just give yourself a little time to "meditate" if you will.

It'll pass love! You're definitely not alone and you're most DEFINITELY not bipolar. ;)