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How to Write the Overcoming Challenges Essay + Example

April 17, 2023

At some point, most college-bound students are tasked with writing an overcoming challenges essay. The prompt crops up in various forms, as a supplemental short essay about overcoming a challenge, and in as the main essay itself.

Some students may feel inclined to write about a dramatic experience (say, spotting a grizzly bear outside the kitchen window), mistaking the drama of the moment for a significant challenge. Others may get to work, only to realize they don’t have much to say about the time they got a C in P.E. (that dreaded frisbee unit). Students who’ve overcome unspeakable difficulties, like a death in the family, may find that reducing the tragedy to 650 words feels insufficient, or worse—as if they’re attempting to profit from suffering. One or two students may stare down the blank computer screen as their entire existence shrinks to the size of a 12-point font. Should they write about the challenge of writing about the challenge of writing an overcoming challenges essay??

Don’t worry. Focusing first on how to tackle the essay will help any student decide what they should write about. In fact, how the essay is written will also prove more influential than the challenge itself in determining the strength of the essay.

Decoding the Prompt

Let’s take a look at the overcoming challenges essay question included among the seven 2023-24 Common App Essay Prompts :

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Notice how the prompt places an immediate emphasis on the “lessons we take,” rather than on the obstacles themselves, or any potential success. This is because the challenge itself often says less about the student than the way the student chose to tackle it, or the way they now reflect on it. In other words, obstacles often come at us randomly; it’s our personal response to the circumstances which reveals something of who we are.

While studying a prompt for clues, it’s helpful to think from the perspective of the admissions officer (the essay reader). What can they glean from an overcoming challenges essay?  A lot, actually. A thoughtfully written essay may tell them about the student’s personality, as well as things like problem-solving techniques, rigor, persistence, creativity, and courage. These insights can work to prove to the admissions officers that the student has what it takes to overcome challenges in college, too. These future challenges may range from the inevitable academic obstacles that occur with heavy courseloads, to social and moral challenges that arise as college students form their adult identities.

Picking Your Topic: A Brainstorming Activity

With the question of identity in mind, let’s now approach the overcoming challenges essay backwards, by brainstorming the final message the student wants it to contain.

For this three-part exercise, the student will first set a five-minute timer. With the clock ticking, they’ll jot down character traits, values, and any descriptive words or terms that say something about who they are. If stumped, change perspective. The student may imagine what their best friends, parents, coaches and siblings would say. (For example, tenacious , logical , scientific , peacemaker .) Even mild criticism can be helpful, as long as it’s not cruel. While a student’s brother may call him a “perfectionist,” perhaps this word will trigger other relevant words, like persistent and detail-oriented.

Next, the student will set the timer for another five minutes, pull out a second sheet of paper, and jot down any challenges, obstacles, setbacks, failures, and achievements that come to mind. Don’t hold back here or overanalyze. (For example: underdog at state swim meet , getting lost on the family hike , petitioning for a school compost system …)

Lastly, the student will place the two pages side by side, and draw lines between the items on the list wherever connections occur. One student may draw lines between persistent , curious , gamer , passionate about electronics , and saved the day during the power outage. Another set of lines might connect caring, observant, creative thinker , and helped sister leave abusive cult . Whatever ideas are sparked here, the goal is to identify which challenges will demonstrate something essential about the student to an admissions officer.

Topics to Avoid

The internet is rife with advice on what not to write when writing an overcoming challenges essay. Yet this advice can be confusing, or downright hypocritical. For instance, some may advise against writing about death. Yet a student who lost their father at an early age may be capable of writing a poignant essay about their search for an alternative father figure, and how they found one in their soccer coach.

I suggest avoiding guides on what not to write until after the student has done a thorough round of brainstorming. Otherwise, they risk censoring themselves too early, and may reject a promising idea. Once they’ve narrowed down their list to three ideas or less, they may want to check our guide on College Application Essay Topics to Avoid .

The reason why certain types of overcoming challenges essays miss the mark is that they emphasize the wrong aspect of the experience, which turns the topic into a cliché. While it’s generally a good idea to avoid trivial topics (again, that C in P.E.), any topic has the potential to be compelling, if it’s animated through personal opinions, insight, and description. Details bring an experience to life. Structure and reflection make an essay convincing. In other words, how the story is told will determine whether or not the topic is worth writing about.

So, rather than avoid specific topics, consider avoiding these scenarios: if you can’t show the essay to your best friend or grandmother, it’s probably not ready to show a college admissions officer. If you must write a clichéd topic, don’t choose a typical structure.

Techniques to Hone

Techniques that animate an overcoming challenges essay are the same ones used in storytelling. Think setting, visuals, sounds, dialogue, physical sensations, and feelings. “Showing” instead of “telling.” Crafting the essay with these inner and external details will bring the challenge to life, and catch the reader’s attention.

Another technique which works well when trying to avoid the trappings of cliché involve subverting the reader’s expectations. In storytelling terms, this is a plot twist. The student who got a C in P.E. may actually have a stellar essay on their hands, if they can break away from the “bad grade” trope (working harder to improve their grade). Perhaps this student’s story is actually about how, while sitting on the bleachers and not participating in the game, they found themselves watching the frisbee spin through the air, and realized they had a deep interest in the movement of astronomical bodies.

Some of the strongest overcoming challenges essays demonstrate what students have learned about themselves, rather than what they’ve learned about the obstacle they confronted. These essays may show how the student has come to see themselves differently, or how they’ve decided to change, thanks to the challenge they faced. These essays work because the reflection is natural and even profound, based on the student’s self-awareness.

Writing the Overcoming Challenges Essay, or Drafts, Drafts, Drafts

Everyone writes differently, some by outlining (never a bad idea), some by free-styling (good for capturing sensations and memories), some by lighting a candle—but don’t procrastinate too much. The only “must” is to revise. After a first draft, the student should begin to look for several things:

1) Clarity and Detail. Is the challenge recounted with precision? Is it personal?

2) Structure. Consider mapping the structure, to visualize it better. Does the structure suit the story? Can it be changed for clarity, or to keep the reader more engaged?

3) Cliché. Identify words, sentences, and ideas that are dull or repetitive. Mark them up, and in the next draft, find ways to rewrite, subvert, condense, and delete.

4) Lesson Learned. Has the student reflected adequately on the lesson they learned from overcoming a challenge? To add more reflection, students might ask themselves what they have felt and thought about the experience since. Would they do something differently, if faced with the same challenge? Has their understanding of the experience evolved over time?

By the final draft, the experience and the reflection should feel equally weighted. To get there, it may take five or six drafts.

Overcoming Challenges Essay Sample

The Happiness Hotline

First there were reports. Then we were told to stop socializing, go inside, wait. Covid struck. Everyone knows what ensued. It probably looked different from where we were all (separately) standing, even though we faced the same thing. Those first weeks, I stood at my bedroom window. It was dark by early evening in Oregon. The weirdest part—after the fact that we were collectively sharing the loneliest experience of our lives—was the silence.

… it was really quiet.

So quiet, I could hear my mom sigh downstairs. (So quiet, I couldn’t remember if I’d hummed aloud, or if I’d just heard myself in my head.) When I looked out the window, I could hear the stoplight at the end of our street. Green to yellow. Click.

Before going on, you should know three things. First, this is not a Covid essay. This is about melancholy, and the “sadness that has taken on lightness,” to quote Italo Calvino. Second, from my bedroom window, I can see down a row of oak trees, past the hospital, to my friend Carlo’s house. Third, Carlo is a jazz singer. Maybe that sounds pretentious, a freshman kid being a jazz singer, but that’s Carlo, and I wouldn’t be me without Carlo being Carlo. He’s someone who appreciates the unhinged rhythm of a Charlie Parker tune. He’s an extrovert who can bring introverts like me out of my shell. He convinced me to learn trombone, and together we riff in the after-school jazz club.

In the first month of the pandemic, we called each other nightly to talk rap albums, school stuff. At Carlo’s house, he could hear a white-crowned sparrow. He could also hear his parents talking numbers behind the bathroom door. The death toll was mounting. The cost of living was going up too. As the month wore on, I began to hear something else in our calls, in the way Carlo paused, or forgot what he was saying. Carlo was scared. He felt sad, isolated, and without his bright energy, I too, felt utterly alone.

Overcoming Challenges Essay Sample (Continued)

After some dark days, I realized that to help ourselves we needed to help others. It was pretty obvious the more I thought about it. People are social creatures, supposedly, even introverts. Maybe our neighbors needed to remember the noisiness of life.

We built a happiness hotline. That sounds fancy, though essentially, we provided three-way calls on my parents’ landline. The harder part involved making flyers and putting them up around town, in places people were still going. Grocery stores, the post office. We made a TikTok account, and then—the phone rang. Our first caller.

For months, if you called in, you could talk to us about your days in lockdown. People went really deep about the meaning of life, and we had to learn on the spot how to respond. I’d become a journalist and a therapist before becoming a sophomore. After chatting, the caller would request a song, and if we knew how to play it, we would. If not, we improvised.

Now we’re seniors in high school. Carlo visits the hospital with band members. As for myself, I’ve been working on a community music book, compiling our callers’ favorite tunes. I don’t want to forget how important it felt to make these connections. Our callers taught me that loneliness is a bit like a virus, a bit like a song. Even when it stops it can come back to haunt you, as a new variant or an old refrain. Still, sadness can take on lightness when voices call through the dark: sparrows, friends, strangers. I learned I’m good at listening into the silence. Listening isn’t only a passive stance, but an open line of receiving.

Analysis of the Overcoming Challenges Essay Sample

This student uses their musical passion to infuse the essay with vivid detail. There’s a focus on sound throughout, from the bird to the stoplight. Then there are the callers, and the clever way the student conceived of breaking through the silence. The narrator’s voice sharpens the piece further, elevating a clichéd Covid essay to a personal story of self-discovery.

In fact, the essay briefly breaks with structure to tell the reader that this is not a Covid essay. Although techniques like this should be used sparingly, it works here by grabbing the reader’s attention. It also allows the student to organize their thoughts on the page, before moving the plot along.

Outwardly, the student is overcoming the challenge of loneliness in a time of quarantine. Yet there seems to be an inner, unspoken challenge as well, that of coming to terms with the student’s introverted personality. The essay’s reflection occurs in the final paragraph, making the essay experience-heavy. However, clues woven throughout point to the reflection that will come. Details like the Italo Calvino quote hint at the later understanding of how to alleviate loneliness. While some readers might prefer more development, the various themes are threaded throughout, which makes for a satisfying ending.

A Last Word on the Short Essay About Overcoming Challenges

The short essay about overcoming a challenge requires the same steps as a longer one. To write it, follow the same brainstorming activity, then focus more on condensing and summarizing the experience. Students who’ve already written a longer overcoming challenges essay can approach the short essay about overcoming a challenge by streamlining. Instead of deleting all the extra bits, keep two interesting details that will flavor the essay with something memorable and unique.

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With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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Home Essay Samples Psychology Adolescence

My Adolescent Experience and Development: A Reflection

Table of contents

Adolescent experience in my life, physical development, emotional development.

“Perhaps you looked in the mirror on a daily, or sometimes even hourly, basis as a young teenager to see whether you could detect anything different about your changing body. Preoccupation with one’s body image is strong through adolescence, it is especially acute during puberty, a time when adolescents are more dissatisfied with their bodies than in late adolescence.” (Santrock)

Social changes

• Arnett, J. J. (2015). Adolescence and emerging adulthood : A cultural approach. Pearson Education.
• Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. WW Norton & Company.
• Gullotta, T. P., & Adams, G. R. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of adolescent behavioral problems: Evidence-based approaches to prevention and treatment. Springer.
• Steinberg, L. (2014). Age of opportunity: Lessons from the new science of adolescence. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Steinberg, L., & Morris, A. S. (2001). Adolescent development. Annual review of psychology, 52(1), 83-110.
• Suler, J. R. (2018). Adolescent development. In Psychology of Adolescence (pp. 11-38). Springer.
• Rutter, M., & Smith, DJ (1995). Psychosocial disorders in young people: Time trends and their causes. John Wiley & Sons.
• American Psychological Association. (2019). APA handbook of the psychology of adolescence.
• Offer, D., & Schonert-Reichl, K. A. (1992). Debunking the myths of adolescence: Findings from recent research. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(6), 1003-1014.

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Adolescence

What teens learn by overcoming challenges, success is measured by the obstacles young people overcome..

Posted June 26, 2011

Today's research in adolescent development validates a statement made over 100 years ago by the great African American educator, Booker T. Washington. He said, "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed."

We now know that learning to overcome challenges during adolescence develops initiative, an important characteristic of how we successfully pursue goals.

Initiative: A Misunderstood Ability

As a researcher, I have spent a number of years studying how adolescents engage with meaningful goals. Often, I am surprised by the common misperceptions people have of what it means to possess initiative. Some believe children are born with an initiative gene or that the word simply implies motivation . Others confuse it with achievement . For example, if a child gets an A grade or accepted to a prestigious college, then people think they must have initiative. It is one of those fuzzy words, raising notions of everything from whether children volunteer to do the dishes to whether they succeed at soccer.

While initiative is understandably complex, many years of research helps us appreciate its importance and why some young people have more of it than others. Simply stated, initiative is the ability to propel life forward in purposeful directions. It involves both inner motivation and outward means to accomplish long-term goals.

Initiative is developed in adolescence, through mastery experiences and through supportive relationships that teenagers form with adults. These experiences and relationships account for more than 75% of life success - more than IQ and genes combined.

Since initiative can be used to accomplish good or evil, it is important to note that positive initiative develops when children are instilled with values like kindness, compassion, and empathy for others. When teenagers integrate these values into their identities, they are more likely to take initiative in ways that benefit themselves, society, and their future employers.

Experiences that Teach Initiative

Initiative is learned when teenagers participate in certain kinds of activities, over time. How initiative is fostered in youth is at the core of my book, Tomorrow's Change Makers: Reclaiming the Power of Citizenship for a New Generation . I studied the lives of initiative-infused young people—teens who were actively committed to a civic cause. My research supported other studies that have identified three important aspects of learning that help young people successfully engage with goals.

First, adolescents must choose projects or activities because it gives them internal rewards. For example, internal rewards include creativity , dignity, autonomy, or making a difference in other people's lives. Initiative is not developed through external rewards, like grades, winning, awards, or money. Grades can get students into good colleges but they cannot develop initiative! Classrooms and homework are not places where initiative is traditionally developed because student choice is limited. But many teachers have devised ways to provide teenagers with more autonomy in how they pursue their studies. Service-learning is one example that provides adolescents with choice and internal rewards, combined with a focus on academic learning. Other choices of activities are outside of school, including sports, music, and other pursuits that feed the soul .

Second, as young people participate in activities of their own choosing, it is important that they take place in environments that contain rules, challenges, and complexities that are inherent in the real world. For example, teenagers must face intellectual, interpersonal, and intrapersonal challenges. Away from the influence of protective parents, they must have opportunities to think critically about themselves and the world, learn to get along with peers and adults, and reflect on their progress. They may be judged by others and given feedback that prompts an adjustment to strategies or behavior. These are important, valuable experiences that help adolescents learn to propel themselves forward.

Lastly, adolescents must learn to sustain activities over time, despite the challenges. Rather than doing a lot of different things, it is more helpful to focus on a few for longer periods of time. This teaches perseverance and provides greater opportunity for a variety of challenges. Often, the greatest learning comes from the most difficult circumstances. Knowing that they can overcome obstacles, learn from struggle, and benefit from mistakes sets a foundation for future success.

Encourage Teens to Challenge Themselves

Adults need not be helpless observers as adolescents traverse the road to young adulthood. Knowing the types of experiences that foster initiative is the first step to helping teenagers get the experiences they need to become successful adults. When adults guide adolescents toward initiative-building activities, teens learn to believe in themselves and their abilities to achieve meaningful goals.

Additional information on how parents and educators foster initiative through praise and mentoring can be found in the article Route to Happiness: Fostering Initiative in Children and Adolecents .

Adlai-Gail, W. S. (1994). Exploring the autotelic personality . Dissertation, University of Chicago.

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective . Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1-26.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life (1st ed.). New York: Basic Books.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence . New York: Bantam Books.

Hekmer, J. M. (1996). Exploring optimal personality development: A longitudinal study of adolescents. Dissertation, University of Chicago.

Larson, R. W. (2000). Toward a psychology of positive youth development. American Psychologist, 55(1), 170-183.

Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, is a the author of Tomorrow’s Change Makers: Reclaiming the Power of Citizenship for a New Generation. A developmental psychologist and researcher, she works at the intersection of positive youth development and education .

Subscribe to receive email notifications of Marilyn’s articles.

Follow Marilyn at Roots of Action , Twitter , or Facebook .

©2011 Marilyn Price-Mitchell. All rights reserved. Please see reprint guidelines for Marilyn’s articles.

Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Ph.D., is an Institute for Social Innovation Fellow at Fielding Graduate University and author of Tomorrow’s Change Makers.

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How to Answer the Essay Prompt "Describe a Challenge You Overcame"

Late fall is officially college admissions season! Some students have already sent in their early decision applications and are working hard on those regular decision deadlines, which means it may be time to work on your essays.

These essays from the Common App , Coalition App , or your prospective school’s specific format can vary in topic, and you may get to choose what you write about. But no matter the school or set of schools to which you’re applying, you will likely come across a version of the “Describe a Challenge You Overcame” or “Overcoming a Challenge” essay prompt.

For some people, the answer to this could be evident. But if you have no idea what to write about, the first rule is:

Don’t panic

So many students are plagued with questions like: What if I’ve never overcome an obstacle? Is my life boring? What if I have nothing to write about, and the admissions officers hate me? What if they judge me for what I've been through?

Deep breath.

All of these fears are normal, but everyone has overcome some sort of challenge or obstacle, whether small or completely overwhelming. By being authentic to yourself, yours will be compelling to readers and help them get to know the kind of student you are now and will be at their college or university.

You will need more than panicking to help you write an essay. Remember that everyone has something valuable to say, and the obstacle you choose will matter less than your ability to write about it and highlight your resilience.

Brainstorm an authentic but impactful challenge

The first thing you'll need to do is think through some challenges you’ve faced . 

A challenge can be as seemingly simple as learning to trust yourself after a failure in school or an extracurricular activity or as complicated as overcoming significant discrimination and prejudice.

You had to overcome a specific fear to succeed at an activity you love. You may have had to rebuild your life after losing a relative. Maybe your family moved, which shook up your life. Or, receiving one terrible grade or criticism led you to change your outlook on life and motivated you to work harder than ever.

Whatever the obstacle you face (no inventing, please), it should be impactful.

That means thinking of a challenge that changed something about you. As a result of overcoming this obstacle, you should have learned significant lessons about yourself or the world around you and made changes in your life.

Colleges and universities want to know what traits you possess that will help you succeed in college and your future career, so the obstacle you choose to share should have helped you develop one of your defining traits. They will care more about your reaction to this challenge, how it shaped you, and how you articulate it than what the problem was in the first place.

Generally, the obstacle you choose to share should also be pretty recent or have had a current impact on your life, rather than a challenge that happened when you were very young that doesn’t impact you today.

Begin at the end

The opening sentence of your essay about overcoming a challenge should be compelling and make the reader want to continue. It can be tempting to tell the story chronologically, but it can sometimes be adequate to start with the ending or a positive memory.

So, think about when you overcame your challenge or realized that you had improved after facing an obstacle. You might even share a moment when you realized your chosen barrier significantly. Recount this moment as your introductory hook in some way.

You can even preview the lessons you learned in your introduction. That way, readers already know that you will share what you’ve learned rather than just share a story recounting a terrible moment or difficult challenge in your life. This can also make them want to keep reading to see how you got to that place.

Share context about the situation but make it brief

You want the reader to learn about you and your challenges rather than overdoing it in detail. They don't need to know every step of the process or every player in the story.

Of course, you should share the context behind what happened to you that challenged you and changed your life or perspective, but you should not dwell too much on the details. Provide only the ‘need to know’ moments and how they led to changes in your life.

With this kind of essay, readers want to know less about what happened and more about what you learned due to your experience.

Focus on what you learned

Your reflection about what you learned due to your experience should be your primary focus within your essay. This section will help readers understand how you’ve changed after facing your challenge or obstacle to become the stellar student you are today. It can also show the maturity and self-reflection colleges may seek in a student.

By sharing lessons learned in this type of essay, you also share how you will contribute to any college campus with your newly acquired traits and perspectives.

If you had to move from one city to another, perhaps you learned to be flexible or met new friends who helped you discover your fascination with science and technology. If you faced bullying, maybe you learned how to respect yourself without outside validation and gained resilience. Whatever the challenge, the lessons associated with overcoming it are most important.

Share actions you took as a result of overcoming the challenge

To help readers understand how you overcame the challenge and how the lessons you learned tangibly affected your life, you should also consider your actions after overcoming your obstacle.

For example, if you witnessed discrimination at school, you could have founded an anti-bullying campaign or student organization. If you lost a family member to a specific disease, you may have volunteered with an organization to help fund research for a cure.

Remember, all of this information needs to be authentic to your experience. Even the most minor actions can be impactful. So, truth is always best, even if you just learned to treat your family better or significantly improve your grades after facing this obstacle.

Connect the lessons you learned to your future

Finally, you can strengthen your response even more by connecting the lessons you learned and actions you took with your future goals.

Think about how you will show up in college after facing this challenge. And consider how you are better equipped now to achieve your future goals because of the lessons you learned. You can then tie this into how attending each college will help you reach those goals.

Seek support!

Admissions officers should never be the first people to read your essay. Get help from a teacher or college counselor, your parents or guardians, an online college essay writing site like Prompt , or fellow scholars like other NSHSS members   before you hit "submit." 

Have them read your essay and provide you with constructive feedback about content and structure. If you're stuck, you can ask for some "overcoming an obstacle" essay examples or ideas from those who know you well.

Then, submit your essay and enjoy that feeling of accomplishment!

Answering the essay prompt "Describe a Challenge You Overcame" offers a unique opportunity to showcase your resilience, growth, and problem-solving skills. By focusing on the specifics of the challenge, the steps you took to overcome it, and the lessons you learned, you'll answer the prompt effectively and make a lasting impression on the admissions team.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Teenagers — Addressing Teenage Problems and Solutions

Addressing Teenage Problems and Solutions

• Categories: Adolescence Teenagers

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Published: Sep 1, 2023

Words: 711 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

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• Why Teen Challenge Is Important

• Empowering Teens

Teen challenge helps adolescents grow. In fact, teens are hardwired to seek challenge. They need healthy challenges in order to develop and mature.

Facing challenge helps teens become independent. Moreover, they come to understand more about their abilities and identities.

However, sometimes teens choose unhealthy challenges and risks. These unhealthy risks, such as using drugs or driving unsafely, can be life threatening. Therefore, parenting teens involves helping adolescents find safe, positive ways to challenge themselves.

Why Teens Seek Challenge and Risk

According to a study by University College London (UCL), risk-taking behavior peaks during adolescence. As an adolescent’s social-emotional system matures, they crave stimulation and teen challenge.

Moreover, the study found that teens took risks because they enjoyed the thrill. In fact, they often understood the consequences of their behavior. However, the desire to take risks was stronger than their common sense.

That’s because the teen brain is not fully developed. Therefore, the areas controlling impulses and decision-making are still immature.

The study involved adolescents and adults aged nine to 35 years. Participants chose between risky and safe options in a computer gambling game. Scientists found that the teenagers took the most risks compared with the other groups. In fact, 14-year olds demonstrated the most risky behavior. In other words, they were constantly seeking challenge and excitement.

“The onset of adolescence marks an explosion in ‘risky’ activities—from dangerous driving, unsafe sex, and experimentation with alcohol, to poor dietary habits and physical inactivity. This contributes to the so-called ‘health paradox’ of adolescence, whereby a peak in lifetime physical health is paradoxically accompanied by high mortality and morbidity. Understanding why adolescents take such risks is important for public health interventions and for families.”   —Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, UCL Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, co-author of the study

Healthy Challenge May Prevent Teen Depression

Teen challenge can be a good thing, if it takes place within safe boundaries. Consequently, it promotes emotional, mental, and social development. Furthermore, researchers have discovered that teen challenge may even ward off depression.

Eva Telzer, a neuroscientist at the University of Illinois, investigated how the teen brain responds to risks and challenges. Hence, she examined how risk-taking is linked to depression.

In  one study , Telzer and her colleagues used MRI technology to measure activity in the brains of adolescents. They measured their responses to different types of rewarding activities. For example, the teens were given opportunities to donate money to family members. In addition, they had to make risky, uncertain decisions to earn money for themselves.

Before the study, the researchers measured the teens’ depression symptoms. Subsequently, they looked at how the teenager’s levels of depressive symptoms changed over the following year.

While being challenged by the tasks, the teens showed intense activity in the area of the brain associated with experiencing rewards. However, teenagers who took risks to benefit their family members had a lower risk of depression a year later. Therefore, researchers concluded that getting pleasure from risk-taking doesn’t necessarily lead to depression. It depends on why teens are taking the risks.

To summarize, Telzer says that positive teen challenge can help protect against depression. Such challenges include pro-social behavior, academic engagement, and different types of hobbies, she says. Therefore, residential treatment centers for teenage depression often build healthy challenge their programs.

Unhealthy Teen Challenges

As we have seen, teens are biologically programmed to take risks and challenge themselves. It’s part of growth. So when teens don’t have healthy challenges, they take dangerous risks. Such risks fall into five main categories.

Behavior that may lead to violence or injury:  This category includes being in a fight, bullying or being bullied, carrying a weapon, self-harm, and considering or attempting suicide.

Unsafe sexual behavior:  This category includes having intercourse before the age of 13, not using protection during intercourse, not being tested for HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. Moreover, it includes drinking alcohol or using drugs during or before intercourse.

Alcohol, substance, and tobacco use:  This category includes drinking alcohol in any amount, binge drinking , and using prescription or illegal drugs, as well as smoking cigarettes or using chewing tobacco.

Unsafe driving or riding:  This type of risk includes driving while texting or e-mailing, driving after drinking or using drugs, or not wearing a seatbelt. Furthermore, it includes riding in a car with a driver who has been drinking or using drugs. It also includes riding a bike after drinking or using drugs, and riding a bike without a helmet.

Poor self-care:  This category includes unhealthy eating, not sleeping enough, and inadequate physical activity. And it includes excessive social media and screen time.

When Teen Challenge Is Part of Life

Sometimes teens encounter real-life struggles that challenge them. And these are not challenges that they would have chosen. However, teens can grow from these challenges also.

Tests and trials are a necessary part of life,” says Crit Callebs, a mentor and therapeutic facilitator at Newport Academy. “You have to be tested through struggles and eventually overcome them, or you will never grow into your own power. Every time you are tested by a hardship or problem, it forces you to go within and find your own personal strength, skill, or solution that is uniquely yours.”

Crit continues: “When you find those qualities, you realize that you have the ability to solve life’s problems. You can survive on your own, and find a way to make things happen.”

Furthermore, Crit says that life challenges allow teens to tap into their inner grit, determination, creativity, and resolve. And each time they do so, they learn more about themselves.

“In addition, teens learn and understand that they have an unbelievable toolbox of skills and traits to use,” he says. “This natural process is a true path to self-empowerment and you earn the right to believe in yourself. Earning it is the key!”

How Do Teens Get Healthy Challenge?  

There’s no doubt that teens require challenge in order to grow. Therefore, parenting teenagers includes helping them find healthy ways to push their boundaries. Here are some options for teen challenge that parents can get behind.

Outdoor Adventure Therapy:

Residential treatment centers for youth often provide Adventure Therapy for adolescents. That’s because activities such as ropes courses, rock climbing, kayaking, and standup paddleboarding give teens healthy challenges.

“Each time we’re presented with a problem and we use our mental and physical abilities to overcome it, we learn self-reliance. In addition, we move from a state of helplessness to a sense of empowerment. Adventure Therapy provides multiple opportunities for teens to find and implement solutions, individually and as a group. Therefore, this process builds their self-esteem and connection with others.” —Tim Walsh, Director of Experiential Learning at Newport Academy

Playing sports gives teens ways to challenge themselves. Adolescents can push their skills to the limit in a supportive environment.

Read “Teens and Sports: The Exercise–Mental Health Link.”

Creativity:

Art, theater, standup comedy, and other forms of creative expression provide beneficial challenges. This is especially true when teens get up in front of an audience or show their work to others.

Safe thrills:

Indoor rock climbing, riding rollercoasters, or going to a theme park all satisfy the teen urge to take risks and be on the edge.

Trying something new:

Diving into a new activity is a way to expand your limits. Taking lessons in a new skill can challenge teens. Or the whole family could go river rafting, for example. Teens don’t have to take risks alone!

Healthy eating challenge:

Eating well is good for teens. However, restrictive diets can be dangerous for teens who are prone to eating disorders. Hence, parents need to make sure that healthy eating habits don’t cross over into disordered eating.

Socializing:

Meeting new people can be a healthy teen challenge. Being a camp counselor, joining a club, or taking a class after school are all ways for teens to get outside their comfort zone.

Studying abroad or joining a group trip for teens involves risk and challenge. Moreover, such experiences will promote teenagers’ growth in multiple ways.

In conclusion, there’s no getting around it: Teens will always seek thrills and push the limits. They’re made that way. But parents can help them find healthy challenges that support growth and minimize risk.

Images courtesy of unsplash

Cogn Dev. 2010 Apr; 25(2): 183–196.

PNAS May 6, 2014. 111 (18) 6600-6605.   

Learn how treatment reduced teen suicide risk by 75%. Get the study .

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, overcoming challenges essay tips.

I'm working on a college essay about overcoming challenges in life, but I'm struggling to find the right balance between my story and what colleges want to see. Any advice on what to focus on or how to structure the essay to make it appeal to college admissions officers?

In writing an overcoming challenges essay, it's essential to strike a balance between showcasing your personal growth and demonstrating how that experience has shaped you into a better candidate for the college. Here are some tips to help you achieve that balance:

1. Focus on a specific challenge: Choose one major challenge you've faced and thoroughly explain the situation. This will allow you to explore the depth of your experience and demonstrate the impact it has had on you.

2. Show personal growth: The crux of this essay should be your growth and development as a result of overcoming the challenge. Discuss the skills and values you've developed, and the lessons you've learned. Emphasize how these personal transformations have prepared you for college life and beyond.

3. Highlight your resilience: Your journey to overcome a challenge demonstrates your resilience, an essential trait for success in college. Show how you've bounced back from setbacks or failures and used those experiences to achieve your goals.

4. Be authentic and genuine: Share your true feelings and emotions while being mindful of the tone. Strive to be candid yet positive about your experiences and avoid dwelling too much on the negative aspects of the challenge.

5. Bring the focus back to your college goals: Conclude your essay by connecting your experience to your college aspirations. Explain how your journey has contributed to your college readiness and how you envision using these insights and skills at the college you're applying to.

6. Structure your essay effectively: Start with a captivating introduction that briefly introduces the challenge and the impact it had on your life. Then, dedicate a few paragraphs to explain the situation, your response, and the steps you took to overcome the challenge. Finally, wrap up the essay by reflecting on your growth and tying it back to your college goals.

By following these tips, you can craft a compelling essay that showcases your resilience, personal growth, and readiness for college life. Remember to proofread your essay and seek feedback from others to further refine your story before submitting it with your application.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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How teenagers can protect their mental health during covid-19, 6 strategies for teens facing a new (temporary) normal..

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Being a teenager is difficult no matter what, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is making it even harder. With school closures and cancelled events, many teens are missing out on some of the biggest moments of their young lives — as well as everyday moments like chatting with friends and participating in class.

For teenagers facing life changes due to the outbreak who are feeling anxious, isolated and disappointed, know this: you are not alone. We spoke with expert adolescent psychologist, best-selling author and monthly New York Times columnist Dr. Lisa Damour about what you can do to practice self-care and look after your mental health.

1. Recognize that your anxiety is completely normal

If school closures and alarming headlines are making you feel anxious, you are not the only one. In fact, that’s how you’re supposed to feel. “Psychologists have long recognized that anxiety is a normal and healthy function that alerts us to threats and helps us take measures to protect ourselves,” says Dr. Damour. “Your anxiety is going to help you make the decisions that you need to be making right now — not spending time with other people or in large groups, washing your hands and not touching your face.” Those feelings are helping to keep not only you safe, but others too. This is “also how we take care of members of our community. We think about the people around us, too.”

While anxiety around COVID-19 is completely understandable, make sure that you are using “reliable sources [such as the  UNICEF and the World Health Organization’s sites] to get information, or to check any information you might be getting through less reliable channels,” recommends Dr. Damour.

If you are worried that you are experiencing symptoms, it is important to speak to your parents about it. “Keep in mind that illness due to COVID-19 infection is generally mild, especially for children and young adults,” says Dr. Damour. It’s also important to remember, that many of the symptoms of COVID-19 can be treated. She recommends letting your parents or a trusted adult know if you’re not feeling well, or if you’re feeling worried about the virus, so they can help.

And remember: “There are many effective things we can do to keep ourselves and others safe and to feel in better control of our circumstances: frequently wash our hands, don't touch our faces and engage in physical distancing.”

>> Read our handwashing tips

2. Create distractions

“What psychologists know is that when we are under chronically difficult conditions, it’s very helpful to divide the problem into two categories: things I can do something about, and then things I can do nothing about,” says Dr. Damour.

There is a lot that falls under that second category right now, and that’s okay, but one thing that helps us to deal with that is creating distractions for ourselves. Dr. Damour suggests doing homework, watching a favourite movie or getting in bed with a novel as ways to seek relief and find balance in the day-to-day.

3. Find new ways to connect with your friends

If you want to spend time with friends while you’re practicing physical distancing, social media is a great way to connect. “I would never underestimate the creativity of teenagers,” says Dr. Damour, “My hunch is that they will find ways to [connect] with one another online that are different from how they’ve been doing it before.”

“[But] it’s not going to be a good idea to have unfettered access to screens and or social media. That’s not healthy, that’s not smart, it may amplify your anxiety,” says Dr. Damour, recommending you work out a screen-time schedule with your parents.

4. Focus on you

Have you been wanting to learn how to do something new, start a new book or spend time practicing a musical instrument? Now is the time to do that. Focusing on yourself and finding ways to use your new-found time is a productive way to look after your mental health. “I have been making a list of all of the books I want to read and the things that I’ve been meaning to do,” says Dr. Damour.

“When it comes to having a painful feeling, the only way out is through.”

5. Feel your feelings

Missing out on events with friends, hobbies, or sports matches is incredibly disappointing. “These are large-scale losses. They’re really upsetting and rightly so to teenagers,” says Dr. Damour. The best way to deal with this disappointment? Let yourself feel it. “When it comes to having a painful feeling, the only way out is through. Go ahead and be sad, and if you can let yourself be sad, you’ll start to feel better faster.”

Processing your feelings looks different for everyone. “Some kids are going to make art, some kids are going to want to talk to their friends and use their shared sadness as a way to feel connected in a time when they can’t be together in person, and some kids are going to want to find ways to get food to food banks,” says Dr. Damour. What’s important is that you do what feels right to you.

6. Be kind to yourself and others

Some teens are facing bullying and abuse at school due to coronavirus. “Activating bystanders is the best way to address any kind of bullying,” says Dr. Damour. “Kids and teenagers who are targeted should not be expected to confront bullies; rather we should encourage them to turn to friends or adults for help and support.”

If you witness a friend being bullied, reach out to them and try to offer support. Doing nothing can leave the person feeling that everyone is against them or that nobody cares. Your words can make a difference.

And remember: now more than ever we need to be thoughtful about what we share or say that may hurt others.

>> Read our tips on dealing with cyberbullying .

Stay informed with the latest information on the coronavirus (COVID-19)

Interview and article by Mandy Rich, Digital Content Writer, UNICEF

This article was originally published on 20 March 2020. It was last updated on 24 August 2020.  

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Adolescence: A Guide to Navigating the Challenges Ahead

Adolescence is characterized as "the transitional stage between puberty and adulthood in human development, primarily spanning the teenage years and concluding legally upon reaching the age of majority." Recently, scientists have proposed that adolescence can physically commence around the age of ten and conclude around 24.

During Adolescence: What Occurs?

Adolescence is a stage of life that typically begins around ten and can last until around 24. It is a period marked by exploration, growth, and transformation, encompassing both physical and psychological development. Individuals experience physical, emotional, and mental changes that can shape their thoughts, actions, and behaviors throughout this process.

Adolescence, similar to young adulthood, can present various challenges. As teenagers mature, they may be eager to embrace adult experiences but might not fully comprehend the responsibilities often associated with adulthood in their culture. Furthermore, tensions may arise between many teens and young adults and their caregivers. Adolescents face new decisions concerning education, peer groups, substance use, rules, and relationships. As they explore different aspects of their lives, they may face consequences, especially if they engage in high-risk behaviors.

For example, adolescents might resist adhering to rules. They may engage in activities like missing school, sneaking out at night, experimenting with risky trends, or indulging in unprotected sex. Such behaviors can lead to repercussions, and teenagers may conceal these actions from their guardians, potentially resulting in disputes.

On the other hand, not every teenager engages in hazardous activities. Some might diligently abide by rules, achieve high academic performance, and prepare for their future. In certain situations, the decisions made during adolescence could enhance the prospects for teens later on, like receiving a scholarship or securing an internship in a competitive domain.

The period of adolescence can be a source of tension for both teenagers and their families. It is possible that mental health issues might arise during this stage of life. In such instances, it would be advantageous for teens to seek assistance from their family members or a qualified therapist.

How Can Caregivers Address Adolescence?

Guardians might face uncertainty when parenting adolescents and young adults. As someone who has already gone through adolescence, you may wish to protect your child from encountering the same challenges you faced during your teenage years. Nonetheless, your adolescent might be coping with stress, irritability, or miscommunication. There are several approaches to support your teen during this transition phase.

Implement Anger Management Techniques

Interactions with your teenager may sometimes evoke feelings of anger. Nevertheless, utilizing anger management strategies can aid in diminishing the impulse to lash out, shout, or express anger towards your child. Research indicates that yelling is ineffective and can exacerbate an existing conflict.

Adolescents are continuously learning and drawing insights from the adults around them. Displaying aggressive behavior might inadvertently teach your child that shouting or engaging in harmful actions is an acceptable way to deal with frustration, even though it's not. Demonstrate healthy coping mechanisms by practicing deep breathing, showing empathy towards both yourself and your teenager, and knowing when to step back when necessary.

Keep Reasonable Expectations for Your Teenager

While adolescents might act responsibly and strive to make constructive life decisions, adults can sometimes place additional pressure on them to enroll in more classes, find a part-time job, or assume greater responsibilities at home. However, imposing too many tasks on your teen simultaneously could result in them experiencing stress.

If your teenager is interested in participating in various extracurricular activities, reassure them that it's perfectly fine to discontinue one if they choose to do so later. Motivate them to concentrate on aspects that can have a positive influence on their future, such as maintaining good grades in school, acquiring new skills, and engaging in social endeavors.

Although teenagers should be motivated to perform their best, ensure that you demonstrate love and empathy regardless of their accomplishments. For instance, if they don't excel in every exam or aren't keen on participating in a pastime you thought they'd like, consider allowing them to take a break and remind them that their value is not determined by their achievements. This approach can have a positive impact on their cognitive development.

Acknowledge the Significant Changes in Adolescence

While it is common knowledge that adolescence is a period of transformation, the extent of these changes is not always given due consideration.

According to Healthy Children , there are four major developments that take place during adolescence, which include:

Physical development

Cognitive development

Emotional development

Social development

Comprehending these alterations can assist you in grasping what your teenager is going through.

Physical Development

Commonly, puberty commences with several physical changes that signal reproductive maturity. Teenagers assigned male at birth may experience a growth spurt and voice deepening, while those assigned female at birth typically develop menstrual cycles and more pronounced hips and breasts. Teens might require some time to adapt to these changes and feel at ease with their bodies as they attain sexual maturity. Additionally, they might have difficulty managing acne, body hair, or perspiration.

Cognitive Development

During childhood, children may perceive external stimuli as an extension of themselves and find it challenging to view the world in a more abstract way. As they grow older, young individuals usually develop a deeper understanding of life's complexities.

A similar concept is applicable to actions and outcomes. Young children may act impulsively and are incapable of taking care of themselves in numerous ways. In contrast, teenagers usually recognize that their actions bear consequences and that their autonomy grows as they mature. Adolescents may become more aware of how their behaviors affect others, especially during the later stages of adolescence.

Emotional Development

Emotional growth might be less noticeable than physical development. Often, emotional maturation manifests as a desire for independence, like spending increased time with friends or obtaining a first job. However, teenagers might experience conflicting feelings about spending time alone or engaging with family members. They may simultaneously seek and reject parental support, which is a typical occurrence during this transitional phase between childhood and adulthood.

Amid emotional growth, teenagers might exhibit signs of mental health issues, like depression. If you observe changes in your child's eating and sleeping patterns alongside a diminished interest in hobbies they previously enjoyed, consider consulting a counselor for an evaluation. Adolescents' well-being, encompassing both physical and mental aspects, must be treated with the utmost importance.

Social Development

Young children tend to crave more time with their parents and families, often staying close to their caregivers. However, as children mature, their attachment to their parents typically evolves. While teenagers may not cease loving or caring for their parents, they might begin to perceive themselves as distinct from their families and desire to independently explore the world as they transition into early adulthood.

As teenagers form new friendships, become part of different peer groups, and delve into the social atmosphere at school, they could encounter negative influences or experience peer pressure. Engaging in conversations with your teen about social norms and establishing healthy boundaries might assist them in overcoming these obstacles. When they reach a suitable age, it can be advantageous to discuss topics like substance abuse, reproductive health, sexual identity, and the hazards of unprotected sex with your adolescent.

Therapy for Teenagers and Parents

Adolescence can be a difficult stage for both the young individuals and the adults in their lives. Although teens might oscillate between distancing themselves and seeking closeness with their families, they may still need support. In certain instances, parents and adolescents may face mental health issues stemming from this transitional phase of life.

Under such circumstances, seeking therapy might be beneficial. While both parenting and adolescence can be demanding and hectic, numerous therapeutic options are available. Online therapy might serve as a convenient solution for those with tight schedules. Moreover, online counseling has been demonstrated to be as efficacious as face-to-face therapy.

For individuals considering counseling, platforms such as ReachLink for those above 18 years old and TeenCounseling for those below 18 years old could prove advantageous. Both platforms provide an expanding selection of therapists specializing in a range of subjects, encompassing parenting, adolescence, and family disputes.

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Defining Success: --> Ways for Teens to Tackle Problems

This article was co-written by former CPTC research assistants Nora Laberee, Shannon Traurig, and Amber Williams.

Stress Management for Teens: Identify and Tackle the Problem

As tweens, teens, and young adults, we hope to be able to manage stress in our lives. It doesn’t matter whether it comes in the form of new tasks to be mastered or serious obstacles to overcome. But we could all use a little help. The CPTC offers a stress management plan that includes specific strategies to problem-solve on your own or with friends and family. It’s designed to help you learn how to:

• Identify and then tackle challenges (including breaking bigger problems into manageable steps)
• Avoid obstacles whenever wise and possible
• Save energy to more efficiently tackle challenges .

This section of the stress management plan focuses on the first point listed above. These strategies prepare us to manage problems effectively. They are key to success throughout our lives.

Learn from Challenges

The challenges we face offer lifelong lessons. This is one reason we must never view the struggles we experience as unimportant.

Let’s consider two common things that often stress tweens and teens out: school and friendships. Neither are true threats to safety (generally), but both feel really important. Both offer us ways we can learn how to manage issues we’ll face as adults. What we learn from managing school prepares us for the workplace. And what we learn from friendships prepares us to be family and community members, employees, and leaders.

Identify and Assess the Problem

Take an attack-the-problem-first approach. Start by identifying the problem. It helps you think more clearly. But this can be hard to do when you’re most stressed.

In times of highest stress, it’s crucial to take some initial steps to collect your thoughts and calm yourself. It takes a focused mind to name the problem. Once the issue is identified, you can begin to problem solve.

Being overwhelmed feeds on itself. Sometimes, when we become overwhelmed by having to solve a large problem that has no easy solution, anxiety takes over. When that happens it is hard to think clearly. For example, you may be stressed for an upcoming exam. You can begin to panic because you become afraid you might fail. Then, you might spend the entire night worrying instead of getting a good night’s sleep. As a result, you enter the exam exhausted and do poorly. Your thoughts and your fears, not your actual knowledge or preparation got in your way.

Sometimes a fear of failure can become reality. Nobody can handle a situation or problem-solve when they can’t think clearly. It is crit ical to learn how to avoid imagining the worst — sometimes referred to as catastrophic thinking.

Catastrophic thinking exaggerates what’s stressing us out. To solve a problem, first, start by figuring out what really needs to be tackled. Then, use strategies to regain a clear mind and steady nerves — because both are needed to realistically assess a situation. Once you can focus again, you can tackle the problem.

Three Questions to Help Put Things in Perspective

There are three key questions that can put things into perspective. These questions can help you control your thinking. They give you the ability to prevent your mind from racing to the worst case scenario. They let you view the situation through a more realistic lens. The questions are, is this:

• A real threat or not?
• Problem temporary?
• Good situation permanent?

Is this a real threat or not?

The ability to handle stress begins with the ability to realize what’s really a threat. If we can’t tell the difference between a real threat and a challenge that can be overcome, our fight or flight system revs up. This prevents us from using our best resources – our ability to think, feel, and problem-solve.

The problem is that we sometimes use this amazingly efficient escape system in situations that stress us out, but that aren’t actual threats to our survival. When we do this, we lose our ability to think practically despite the fact that thinking offers the best chance of solving the problem.

For example, if you think a B+ on a test is a real, harmful threat, you’ll never focus on the test. You can question, “Is this a real threat, or not?” Asking this question helps you see that the test grade is not a real threat. It’s a temporary obstacle causing you stress. Then with restored calm, you can focus your attention on studying.

One phrase many young people use is “Is this a real tiger attacking me, or does it only feel like one?”

Is this problem temporary?

Sometimes when a problem strikes, we imagine it may lead to bigger problems or that the consequences will be long-lasting. Asking, “How will I feel about this in a week? In a month?” can give needed perspective.  If the answer is, “I won’t be upset about this,” you can reassure yourself, “This too shall pass,” or “I’m going to get through this.”

Is this good thing permanent?

Sometimes even when good things happen, they can trigger anxiety. We might believe our luck will run out. We may be overcome by a fear of failure. Because something good has happened, we become anxious that it may not remain so — that we’ll lose our good fortune. In an attempt to protect ourselves, we may choose self-sabotage rather than take a chance we’ll be hurt later.

Instead, you want to remind yourself that good things can be permanent. You are deserving and earned the good circumstances you find yourself in. Your challenge is to continue creating situations where good things come to you. And not to assume they will be taken away.

Break Mountains Into Hills

Once we’ve answered these three key questions, we can begin to take control over the things that are really stressing us out. We take charge of our lives when we learn to break large problems into smaller manageable pieces.

Sometimes stress feels like a “mountain” that you must somehow overcome. You cannot imagine climbing it to the top or even getting around it. Instead, learn to visualize hills resting next to each other. As you focus on one hill at a time, the “summit” appears more reachable. Your sense of being overwhelmed lessens. As you approach each hill, learn to focus your energies only on the hill in front of you. When that hill is conquered, then look towards the next one. All of a sudden, the mountain is now within reach. Small victories, gained by conquering each hill, can restore your sense of control. This will boost your confidence and lessen your anxiety.

Below are a few strategies to turn mountains into hills:

Solve Problems With One Powerful Word

Self-defeating thoughts often begin with words like “I never,” or “I can’t.”  These words undermine hope. When we add the powerful word “yet” to our thoughts, we are reminded we just need more time and effort. “I can’t solve this problem,” becomes “I can’t solve this problem YET.” Now you can make an action plan. Try to see limitations as challenges you’ve not yet learned to overcome or work around.

Climb the Easy Hill First

When we look at a mountain, it appears immovable. While you should keep the whole picture somewhere in your plans, attack a piece of the problem that is solvable first. Getting something accomplished is often all it takes to gain confidence. That’s not the easy way out . . . it’s the smart way to get started.

Change Up the View of the Problem

Let’s consider a few problems tweens and teens might encounter. Problems that would seem more manageable if we were able to view them from a different perspective.

School Work

Well-designed school assignments do more than just give knowledge about a specific topic. They also give us practical life skills by teaching us time management and organization. Although we may not realize it, there are several life lessons we can learn from school assignments. Here are just a few.

• When we maintain a calendar or to-do list with due dates it not only gives us an idea of upcoming assignments and how much time each assignment requires. It also helps us learn time management, which we will need throughout our lives as we balance competing demands.
• Sometimes when we study hard we hit a block and need a break. When we learn to recognize that we need to step away to regain focus, we are more efficient in the long run. These are skills that will help us be successful in the work world.
• School keeps us busy. But we mustn’t forget to schedule in time to enjoy ourselves, eat well, exercise, and sleep well. When we learn to balance school with all the things we do outside of it, we learn to manage competing demands while still taking care of our health and well-being.

Social Rejection

We all want to fit in with our friends. Conflict with friends can be overwhelming. When our friends reject us it may feel like we will never have another friend again. It is important to remember to look at the larger social picture. We will likely find a path back to our social group, or we may have other solid friendships. “I have no friends!” becomes, “I’m glad Dana always has my back. I’ll go to her house, and hang out there.” Or, “I am so glad I have my soccer team.”

Emotional Overload

In times of stress, we can feel “full.” It’s like we have no room for any more feelings. This can lead to an explosion of emotions — we can no longer contain all that we feel. Perhaps worse is if we choose to ignore our feelings.

A critical strategy is to learn to release emotions in a managed way. We restore some calm when we thoughtfully name some of the feelings swirling in our heads — anger, frustration, hurt, disappointment, fear, sadness, confusion. Once identified, we can express our thoughts and leave less bottled up inside.

Parental Disappointment

Conflict with our parents can create stress. In many cases, the conflict is driven by “wrestling” over limits they’ve set and consequences they’ve given when rules have been broken. We should not feel as though we have permanently lost the trust of our parents. Rather, we should believe we can always work to earn back that trust. Instead of giving up hope, we take control of the situation and find ways to get back on track.

The Mindset of Resilience

Some stressful events require strong and immediate reactions. Natural disasters. Dangerous people. Threats to our safety. There are other stressors that we must take time to think and feel deeply about in order to heal. A death in the family. A fight with a good friend. A serious mistake made. These demand energy. The good news is our stress response system is designed to get us through these tough times.

But most crises are not life-threatening. Playing in the big game. An upcoming test. A job interview. If we let our bodies go into a full-stress mode in these non-threatening situations, we undermine our ability to get through them. In these cases, we must maintain our ability to focus, problem solve, and empathize in order to get past the challenge.

When we see a threat as bigger than it actually is (catastrophic thinking) it can lead to feeling anxious and mistrustful. We may lose the focus, concentration, and social skills needed to resolve the issue. It is important to avoid this kind of thinking. Yes, there are real threats we may encounter. But let’s save catastrophic thinking for true catastrophes.

Resilient people conserve energy . They control how deeply they let stress get under their skin. Using every bit of energy when they must, they work hard to prevent everyday stresses from being blown out of proportion. They can focus when they need to, and run when they should. Their strength comes from figuring out what they can best deal with at any given moment. This is all about understanding the true importance of the problem. About gaining a realistic perspective about the stress we face. When we see stress for what it really is, we can manage the problem at hand while also building our ability to bounce back and face challenges in the future.

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Common Issues Faced by Teens in Counselling: How to Help Your Teen Overcome Challenges

Challenges. We all face them every day. And for many teens in counselling, challenges are an even greater concern. Sometimes, teens feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of their challenges, leading to feelings of helplessness and sadness. This is not only unfortunate but can also have an effect on their ability to manage their relationships and mental health. So how can you help your teen in counselling to overcome these challenges?

Common issues faced by teens in counseling include depression, anxiety, bullying, family conflict, self-esteem issues, and substance abuse. It is important for counsellors to be aware of these common issues so they can provide teens with the best care possible.

Issues commonly faced by teens in counselling

Issues commonly faced by teens in counselling are vast and varied. Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and ADD are often seen in teens coming into counselling. Additionally, adolescents may face more chronic behavioural concerns that need to be addressed through therapy – things like substance abuse, conduct disorders, and disruptive behaviour. Many teens will also come into counselling with relationship problems, such as teenage dating violence or loneliness stemming from social isolation. Academic stress can also be a major problem for adolescents; they may struggle with low grades, difficulty meeting deadlines, or other challenges in the classroom.

The main goal when dealing with any of these issues is to identify the cause of the problem and provide strategies to help the teen cope with it. It’s important to take a collaborative approach so that the teen can learn effective ways to manage their emotions and behaviours in a healthy manner. This can include teaching them positive coping skills such as journaling, developing constructive outlets for their stress or anger, and reducing their exposure to toxic influences. Parents should also play an active role in the teen’s treatment by providing emotional support and helping them keep their appointments on schedule.

It’s important to recognise that not all teens’ challenges are equal; different individuals have different needs when it comes to addressing mental health issues. Some teens may respond well to traditional methods of therapy, while others may require alternative interventions such as art therapy or outdoor activities. The key is to find a solution that works best for each individual teen so that they can make positive strides towards managing their challenges.

Despite the difficulties inherent in helping teens face challenges, counsellors have proven themselves competent at handling even the most difficult cases. With patience and genuine care for their well-being, counsellors can help teens overcome obstacles and move forward with confidence and resilience. As we explore further techniques for helping teens tackle mental and emotional struggles, it is important to remember that every teen is unique – what works for one person may not work for another – but with empathy, guidance, and understanding, anything is possible.

• According to a recent systematic review, anxiety was found to be the most commonly reported issue among teens in counselling (35%), followed by depression (31.9%) and family issues (22.7%).
• A 2020 study published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that over 25% of teens aged 12–17 had received mental health services within the past year.
• Research conducted between 2006 and 2015 revealed that rates of mental health disorders among teens were rapidly increasing, with over 20% of all adolescents experiencing a mental health disorder in any given year.

Mental and emotional struggles

Mental and emotional struggles are some of the most common issues faced by teens in counselling. It is not uncommon for teens to experience significant depression, anxiety, fear, trauma, or other mental health challenges. In fact, according to a 2017 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 teens aged 13–18 reported feeling constantly sad or hopeless almost every day in the past twelve months.

Parents and counsellors should approach their teen’s mental health struggles with a compassionate understanding, allowing their teen to express and process the range of emotions they feel. Teens who have the opportunity to openly discuss their feelings can gain better insight into their emotions and learn ways to cope more effectively with challenging circumstances. Providing a safe environment free from judgement and expectations is critical to allowing any growth or change to occur. Additionally, supporting opportunities such as play therapy, art therapy, music therapy, or even meditation can all help when coping with mental and emotional struggles.

Although it can be difficult, it’s important for parents and counsellors addressing teen issues to recognise that underlying family relationships are often where these mental and emotional struggles manifest. Unhealthy communication styles, issues around trust and control, and traumatic experiences in childhood all have powerful implications for the way our children form acceptable patterns of behaviour as adolescents. Going beyond just addressing symptoms of depression or anxiety without looking at the bigger picture may not be enough to bring about fundamental change – making family relationships key when understanding why certain teens face these challenges.

Therefore, we must look further into how family dynamics influence teen issues in counselling as we attempt to foster positive changes for our young people.

Family Relationships

Family relationships have a major impact on the mental and emotional struggles that teens may be facing in counselling. Thus, it is important to consider how family dynamics could be influencing the challenges that come up for your teen. A 2019 study  showed that warm and supportive parenting practices were associated with higher levels of emotional security, resilience, and overall psychological well-being in adolescents. On the other hand, research has also indicated that more hostile or authoritarian parenting practices may increase levels of depression and anxiety among adolescents.

Therefore, it is essential to help foster healthy family relationships within your home to ensure that your teen is provided with a supportive environment. This could involve setting boundaries as needed while maintaining positive communication between all members of the household. It may also be beneficial to seek outside professional help if there are any areas of tension or discord in family relationships, as this can create additional stress for teens.

While family relationships certainly affect mental and emotional struggles among adolescents, it is important to recognise other external sources of stress that may influence teens’ experiences in counselling. To better understand how these everyday stressors can shape their behaviour and moods, it is helpful to explore the relationship between coping strategies used by teens and their mental health outcomes.

Benefits of counselling for teens

Counselling can be extremely beneficial for teens by helping them cope with difficult life issues. Programmes like Modern Recovery’s Teen Program can play a crucial role in such therapeutic journeys, offering specialised support for teens and their families. Research shows that regular counselling appointments can improve outcomes in self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and even academic achievement among adolescents. When teens connect with a counsellor, they may develop resilience skills such as problem-solving and communication strategies. According to researchers, these interventions help reduce preventable mental health concerns by “providing coping skills training, moral decision-making guidance, mental health information, and support.

At the same time, it’s important to be aware of the potential challenges associated with talking to a therapist. Teens have privacy concerns about whom they talk to about their issues and what information is shared. Counsellors should always be mindful of the need for confidentiality by carefully considering this dimension in their planning and assessment strategies. Similarly, seeking help for more severe problems may involve additional psychological treatment with medications or hospitalisation. Understanding the benefits of counselling and its potential limitations provides an informed approach that allows teens to empower themselves while navigating life challenges.

Parents may want to consider counselling when their teens are facing certain difficulties or stressors. This type of intervention could provide an important outlet for adolescents as they learn new skills to cope with their emotions and develop healthier life habits. Ultimately, these types of services can aid teens in successfully navigating life’s challenges while providing much-needed support along the way. As parents work together with their teens to ensure the best outcomes possible, it’s important for them to understand how they can best assist their adolescents in their journey towards success.

Tips for parents to support their teens in counselling

Counselling for teens can be beneficial in helping them cope with their challenges. As parents, it is important to support them on this path. Firstly, it is important to have open and honest conversations with your teen and not pressure them into going to counselling. Discuss the benefits of talking to a counsellor and explain how you might support them throughout their journey – by accompanying them to the first session or assuring that sessions don’t interfere with school. Secondly, it is important to respect their feelings and also express your own views without judgement. Reassure your teen that no matter what they are feeling or going through, they are loved and valued regardless.

It is important to work with the counsellor to understand your teen’s specific issues and come up with personalised solutions. If there is a communication issue between you and your teen, counselling may be helpful since research has indicated that teenage unhappiness increases when communication fails between parents and teens. Working together with the counsellor will likely encourage cooperation from your teen as well as help put you both on the same page about expectations, goals, and outcomes of counselling.

By understanding all sides of this issue and working together, counselling can be successful for teens in overcoming their challenges, especially with support from loving family members. While there certainly are many challenges that need to be addressed within the counselling process, addressing these challenges head-on helps teens make personal growth while learning coping techniques they can use in daily life.

Common issues teens face in the counselling Process

When teens enter counselling, they may face a variety of difficulties and common issues that may impede their progress. One issue oftentimes faced is resistance to treatment. Teens may be resistant to accepting help from a counsellor, as they often view external help as an admission of defeat. They may also be nervous about opening up to an unfamiliar adult and discussing difficult topics, causing further resistance to treatment. It is important for parents to remember their role in helping their teen work through these feelings of apprehension and encourage them to remain open-minded during counselling sessions.

Other issues teens have faced in the past when entering counselling include difficulty expressing emotions and vulnerability. Many teenage years are rife with conflicting emotions, and it can be difficult for teens to process how they feel or communicate such feelings in a healthy manner. Due to the stigma surrounding therapy , teens may see it as a sign of weakness to share their true thoughts and worries with another person, thus hampering their progress throughout the counselling process. It is important for parents to normalise therapy and provide guidance on how to better express how they feel so that their teens enter therapy sessions with confidence and comfort.

Debating both sides of the argument: Neither position is without merit; while resistance to treatment can certainly increase anxiety and potential setbacks, vulnerability also plays a key role in improving outcomes within therapy sessions. Parental support and encouragement can help teens realise that seeking help does not equate to a sign of failure, yet being able to express themselves clearly is also essential for successful outcomes during counselling sessions.

Evidence and examples

Studies have found that parental encouragement was a key factor for teens entering the counselling process with helpful results; parental presence during initial interviews helped alleviate much of the tension associated with meeting someone new. Moreover, programmes such as dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), which seeks to teach participants skills used for emotional regulation, enable those who struggle with expressing their concerns openly (AACAP). As evidenced by these examples, parent support in not only encouraging their child but also providing knowledge on tools such as DBTs can result in increased confidence among teens when speaking openly with counsellors.

Ellen Diamond , a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.

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10 Ways How to Overcome Challenges Life Throws at You

Updated: December 7, 2023

Published: March 30, 2020

Life is full of its ups and downs. One day, you may feel like you have it all figured out. Then, in a moment’s notice, you’ve been thrown a curve ball. You’re not alone in these feelings. Everyone has to face their own set of challenges. Learning how to overcome challenges will help you stay centered and remain calm under pressure.

Everyone has their own preferences for how to face a challenge in life. However, there are a few good tips and tricks to follow when the going gets tough. Take your pick from the following list!

Photo by  Rémi Walle  on  Unsplash

10 ways to overcome challenges in life, 1. make a plan.

While you don’t know what is going to happen in the future, you can always plan ahead. Look at the patterns in your life and see what challenges you’ve struggled with. Assess the optimal outcomes and make a plan for how you can achieve them.If you work somewhere and can anticipate the types of challenges you may face, then you can plan ahead. This is the same for students in school . If a challenge is time management , then you can learn and plan for calendar management, for example.

2. Know You’re Not Alone

Every person in this world has their low points. Some may handle or even hide it better than others. But the truth is, whatever you are going through, there are others who have been through it too. You’re not alone. Try to reach out to your community and network. Speak your feelings and express your concerns in all settings of your life.

3. Ask For Help

You’re not alone, so you can find help. There’s no need to feel ashamed for asking for help. Whether you choose to rely on a loved one, a stranger, a mentor, or a friend, there are people who want to help you succeed .

4. Feel Your Feelings

By masking your feelings, they are not going to go away. Rather, feelings become trapped energy and can even have negative health consequences when they are ignored. Take some time to feel what you feel. This could come in the form of meditation . Or, if you’d rather write down what you feel, writing can be a therapeutic and cathartic experience.When you feel and share your feelings, you may also be able to see your situation in a new light. This exercise could lead you to come up with novel solutions and overcome any challenge at hand.

5. Accept Support

Asking for help is only one side of the coin. On the other side of the coin, you have to be open and willing to accept support . People who come to your aid truly do care about you. Be open to receiving help when you need it.

6. Help Others

The old adage goes, “What you give is what you get.” If you’ve been through a situation or have advice for someone you know who is going through a tough time, be sure to help out! Helping others not only benefits them, but it can also help you feel happier yourself.

7. Think Big

It can be easy to let yourself think small because of the fear of failure, or even the fear of making a decision. But, to accomplish great things in life, you have to be open to taking risks. With whatever challenges may arise, always think and dream big. That way, you will achieve more than you could have ever imagined. Try not to let your thoughts get in your own way.

8. Positive Mindset

What you think becomes your reality. Train your mind to think positively. This will take both time and practice. It begins with mental awareness. You can practice awareness through mindfulness techniques and meditation. When you get good at acknowledging your thoughts and letting them pass, you can stop negative thoughts in their tracks.

9. Don’t Give Up

When a challenge arises, be it a big test in school or an upcoming running race, don’t give up! Persistence is a huge key to overcoming challenges. Giving up means that you will neither overcome the challenge nor learn from it. Power through challenges by asking for support, feeling your feelings, and making a plan to work through it.

10. Work Smart, Not Hard

Generally, there is more than one way to get something done. However, there’s always just one optimal way or best way of doing it. To work smarter rather than harder, start by working backward. Outline and define your goal. Then, plan the process for how to get there. Perform research to see how others who have come before you have done it. Take count of your own skills and ideas for how you may be able to do it better. Then, stick to your path and get to work!

Photo by  madison lavern  on  Unsplash

A 4-step method for overcoming challenges.

Want to try a technique for overcoming challenges that Buddha himself once taught? This four-step method could help you a lot!

1. Accept and Let Go:

Accept where you are now and what you have. This is your life, at this time. While it’s temporary, accepting it will help you to let go of stress, anxiety, and fear. Meditation is one of the best ways to learn and practice acceptance.

2. Observe and Decide:

When you face a particular challenge, take a step away from your feelings to make a plan. While it’s important to still feel your feelings, when deciding how to act, you want to be objective as possible.

3. Face Fears and Act:

Taking action is one of the biggest steps in overcoming challenges. It’s likely that a big part of whatever you’re facing feels like a challenge because you have an underlying fear. Try to recognize and define what you fear in the situation. Then, you can act to mitigate that fear.

4. Practice Gratitude:

Ultimately, we tend to exist in our comfort zones. So, when something new happens or is presented, we may feel like it’s hard to deal with. By practicing gratitude, you can reframe your definition of a challenge. You will also be happier overall in your present moment.

The Bottom Line

Learning how to deal with challenges takes time, persistence, and a positive attitude. No matter your life situation, the hard times will happen. But, with the right mindset and practice, you will be able to overcome them every time and grow in the process!

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Changes in the Brain and Behavior During Adolescence

Material below is adapted from the SfN Short Course Adolescence and Reward: Making Sense of Neural and Behavioral Changes Amid the Chaos , by Deena M. Walker, Margaret R. Bell, Cecilia Flores, Joshua Gulley, Jari Willing, and Matthew J. Paul. Short Courses are daylong scientific trainings on emerging neuroscience topics and research techniques held the day before SfN’s annual meeting.

Adolescence — the transition from childhood to adulthood — is a time of great change in the brain and behavior. In addition to sexual maturity, individuals also develop social and emotional skills during this time that will serve them as adults. Traditionally, researchers trying to understand this period have focused on a mismatch in the brain between increased sensitivity to rewarding stimuli and still-developing inhibitory control, which appears to lead to vulnerability to psychiatric disorders and risky behavior such as drug-seeking. What follows is a discussion of how hormones, the brain, and social factors affect adolescent development.

Puberty also describes the transition from childhood to adulthood, but it focuses specifically on changes in physiology and behavior. These changes differ between the sexes and include mating behaviors, secondary sex characteristics, and activation of hormonal crosstalk between the brain and the gonads or sex organs. Scientists who investigate these changes often ask whether brain and behavior changes observed during adolescence depend on puberty. They have found that some do, and some do not.

Research in both humans and model organisms indicates adolescents are more sensitive to rewarding stimuli than adults. Biological sex also appears to play a role. For instance, scientists have shown that human males are more impulsive than females through their mid-twenties and that adolescent male rats are more sensitive to tasty food than both adolescent female and adult rats. At least some of these observations may be explained by recent studies demonstrating the cortex and the striatum, the part of the brain thought to play a large role in determining how rewarding a stimulus or behavior is, develop more slowly in males than in females.

The circuit that plays a large role in receiving and regulating rewarding stimuli is the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway. In rodents and primates, this pathway undergoes extensive changes during adolescence. One of the most striking changes is the steady, linear increase in dopaminergic neural projections that happens in both males and females in the brain area known as the medial prefrontal cortex, or mPFC. In addition to the increase in projections, the brain regions involved in this circuit also increase the expression of dopamine receptors during adolescence.

In attempting to understand the interplay between hormones and brain development, scientists have found a specific role for puberty on the mPFC. For instance, this brain region undergoes neuronal pruning and a corresponding decrease in volume during puberty, but not in female rats that have had their ovaries removed and are thus missing crucial hormones. Researchers now suspect that changes in structure that happen in the mPFC during puberty could be a driver of the differences in decision-making and reward learning between adolescence and adulthood, but further studies are needed to fully understand this potential link.

Alongside changes in the brain and hormones, adolescent humans and rodents experience changes in how they respond to social structure that can, in turn, drive changes in neural circuitry. In humans, adolescents start to rely more on their peers for social support and, in doing so, learn behaviors that will serve them as adults. Reward circuitry, particularly the region known as the basolateral amygdala, is known to be involved in how the brain responds to social situations. Another area, the medial amygdala, which is outside of the traditional reward circuit, has provided researchers with some understanding of how sex differences affect the brain’s response to social reward.

The experts studying adolescence have begun to identify overarching themes. First, sex differences during adolescence may be a precursor to sex differences in responses to reward during adulthood. Second, the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway is the brain circuit that is essential for changes to how the brain perceives social interactions and reward during adolescence. Finally, both hormones and environmental factors, such as peer relationships and exchanges, drive changes to this circuitry, which can be sensitive to drugs of abuse and social stress. More research is needed, as scientists are only beginning to understand how the brain, hormones, and environment affect reward during adolescence.

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Essays About Overcoming Challenges: Top 5 Examples

Confront challenges in writing by reading our guide with example essays about overcoming challenges and helpful prompts. 

Whether your problems have been failing a subject, getting retrenched at work, or losing someone you love, overcoming challenges is a relief and successful feat always worthy of celebration. 

Overcoming challenges requires patience and persistence to advance your goals despite failures. If you aim for something great in life, you can anticipate facing constant obstacles on your way. However, to successfully hurdle them, a positive and focused mindset coupled with the ability to regulate your emotions will help you go a long way.

5 Essay Examples

1. ​​how to succeed at failure by arthur brooks, 2. how to overcome family problems by vinaya ghimre, 3. when obstacles become opportunities to work better by tim harford, 4. how you can stop global warming by melissa denchak, 5. how countries deal with debt, 10 helpful writing prompts on essays about overcoming challenges, 1. my inspiration for overcoming challenges, 2. helping persons with disabilities (pwds) overcome discrimination, 3. overcoming challenges for students, 4. overcoming mental health issues, 5. overcoming challenges in budgeting, 6. overcoming challenges from childhood, 7. how startups overcome financing challenges, 8. overcoming bullies, 9. overcoming challenges in memory retention, 10. overcoming challenges in income inequality.

“After you have been hurt by a failed relationship, for example, rumination can make you focus on the past instead of the future, so you are less likely to get out there and try again. You’re frozen in your moment of failure as you turn defeat over and over in your mind. You become fearful, lose confidence, and miss your opportunities for new success.”

This essay explores the cognitive studies of a professor’s happiness and includes success tips to help one overcome challenges. One tip that eches with relevance is our need to stop aiming for success and shift toward learning and improvement. For more, check out these essays about life challenges .

“Culture and tradition ask young people to respect their parents and elders’ decisions, whereas modern education teaches them to have their own view of life. Neither the educational system is wrong nor are the parents trying to harm their children. However, truth is, the difference in opinions creates family conflict.”

This essay strives to explain the root causes of conflicts to help readers better navigate the nature of their family problems. The author also offers tips to overcome family tensions, such as being more tolerant and understanding of family members. 

“A shock can prompt us to find new and better ways to live our lives, both individually and collectively. We try new ideas, develop new skills, invest in new kit and draw strength from the fact that others are doing likewise. Resilience is essential but not enough: we need to be able to explore, experiment and adapt.”

As COVID-19 redefined the way we live, we are forced to find new paths to rediscovering better ways of living. Offering lessons from the life of musician Django Reinhardt and the pandemic, the author notes that with the right mindset and commitment to more significant change, we can bring light to a dark period and even rebound stronger and better. 

“ The effects of climate change are already threatening our health, our communities, our economy, our security, and our children’s future. What can you do? A whole lot, as it turns out. ”

Slowing down global warming and building resilience against climate change are critical missions to the world that everyone has to be part of. This essay lists 12 specific actions one can take to help combat global warming in their day-to-day lives, with each tip backed by data showing how big this seemingly small act can mean.

“While higher debt can slow growth and slower growth may cause sovereign debt to rise, the level of debt at which it turns into a problem depends on a country’s particulars, including sources of its debt financing and economic growth catalysts.”

As debts in several countries have ballooned to record highs during the COVID-19 pandemic, governments are finding new sources of revenue to reduce this debt. The article explains dominant economic beliefs about debt and cites its negative consequences on countries. 

Whoever it may be, write about the person whose accomplishments and constant efforts always remind you that you can overcome challenges in life. List down the qualities you admire and how you practice adopting these qualities. You can also elaborate on why these qualities are crucial for the younger generations.

PWDs face discrimination every day and are forced to make adjustments to be part of society. So first, spell out the current challenges PWDs face. Next, you can narrow down this discussion to the situation in your locality. And then, write down what your government is doing to move toward genuine inclusiveness and enable PWDs to cope better in their daily lives. Some examples could be educating the public about how society should accommodate PWDs and creating more wheelchair-accessible destinations. 

Students may struggle in their academic and extracurricular performance while dealing with anxieties over social relationships and growing up. Enumerate the multiple challenges students face on campus and at home. You can share your own experiences and relay how you have overcome them. You can also interview some friends and consolidate their responses. 

With raging geopolitical tensions and the road to recovery from COVID-19 still a long way to go, cases of anxiety and depression are on the rise . First, write about the detrimental effects of such mental health issues on overall well-being and life – as depression is a trigger to suicide. Then write about what specific parts of society are doing to address the mental health crisis. For example, you can cite the efforts your city health office is providing.

With more uncertainties looming for the economy, overcoming bad money habits is imperative. This essay describes the colossal challenge of balancing the need to save, spend for basic needs and invest. Then provide tips on saving and doing away with bad habits. One prudent advice would be to review spending patterns through a statement of accounts. 

Feelings of emptiness can plague even the most successful people. Often, this emptiness could be traced back to challenges in childhood. This essay explains adults’ difficulties in facing their repressed childhood trauma—research recommendations by psychology experts on breaking free from the contempt against parents. Here, you can tackle the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy to alter harmful thoughts and behavioral patterns.

The biggest obstacle to the commercial success of startups is adequate financing to bring their concepts into reality. For this essay, lay down the financing options available to startups in your country. Often, countries promoting innovative startups have assistance funds. You can encourage startups to tap these funds by enumerating the eligibility criteria of each fund. Look also into the latest surveys and reports showing trends in investing preferences worldwide. 

Bullying can come in different forms and may even initially disguise itself as a playful joke. Help your readers detect bullying and overcome these challenges early. Write about the early signs of bullying and the best ways to defend against it. Keeping records of the incident and immediately filing a report to higher authorities is often the best way to deter bullies. If you want to be guided more on this topic prompt, check out our essays about bullying . 

Forgetting is normal. But the pressures to remember an overwhelming load of information can be high during examination week. For an interesting kick in your essay, talk about famous memory theories such as the Forgetting Curve by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus , which sheds light on why we forget and how we can remember better. Then, write more tips on how one can retain information longer. Not cramming is one helpful suggestion.

First, point out historical events and trends that have exacerbated the divide between the rich and the poor. For instance, several studies have blamed the digital divide. Next, think about what societies can do to narrow this gap. With this, you can also touch on how much your government is spending to improve digital infrastructure in rural areas and look into whether these resources are mobilized efficiently. 

For more help with your essay, check out our roundup of the best grammar checkers .  Grammarly is one of our top grammar checkers, and you can find out why in this Grammarly review .

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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A Teenager’s 4 Lessons On How We Can Face Any Challenge

Over the last couple of years, I’ve had the pleasure of hosting a number of talented and respected writers from the field of leadership. But being able to host the following guest writer is definitely a memorable highlight for my blog.

Today’s guest piece is written by my 14-year old daughter, Alya Naseer, who – as those who follow me on the various social media channels already know – published her first illustrated book earlier this year on Amazon – “ Don’t Change: A Mother’s Letter Of Love For Her Daughter” (which, by the way, makes a great holiday gift for both mothers and daughters).

Since writing her book, Alya has been invited to write for a number of blogs about her experiences and the lessons she’s learned. In this piece, she shares her insights on what this experience taught her – and what we can all learn – about how to overcome the challenges we face in order to ultimately be successful in our efforts.

Life, as we know it, is full of challenges. Finding the right job, making enough money to pay the bills, building and maintaining relationships, and accomplishing our goals is not always easy, and yet they make our lives feel successful and happy.

For me, one of the many challenges I faced was publishing my own book, “ Don’t Change: A Mother’s Letter Of Love For Her Daughter” , without the help of a publisher. Many times I had to contact Amazon to get the information I needed to publish my book – the image size requirements, available print sizes, how the royalty payments worked, and many other details. Other times, I had to research online to figure out how to create my book.

When publishing my book, I not only needed many different computer and artistic skills, but I also needed self-confidence, determination and perseverance, patience, curiosity, and the encouragement and support of those around me. Some of these skills I already possessed, others I needed to develop to complete my book. Here are four lessons I want to share that helped me to develop the skills I needed to accomplish my goal, steps you can take to help you achieve yours.

1. When faced with a challenge, you have to be determined, persistent, and curious When I was designing my book, I kept getting errors like the images not appearing, or they were too big or small on the page. Sometimes the images were also a little blurry. Times like these made me feel like giving up because it was so frustrating as I didn’t know how to fix it. But then I thought of how proud I would be when I published my book; of holding my work in my hands and sharing it with my family, friends and teachers.

Thinking of that end goal kept me going despite all the frustrations, and made me curious and driven to seek the answers to these problems.

To accomplish any goal, you obviously need to work hard to get the final result. The problem, though, is if you’re not determined, what’s going to stop you from giving up? There will be challenges and it won’t always be easy but you can’t give up; you need to keep going.

It is important to know you can do anything you want in life if you’re willing to put time and effort into it. When you set a goal, you have to be ready to do everything you can to reach that goal – like what I did by asking for help or doing research to find the answers. You also need to be curious to try new things that might be out of your comfort zone, even if you make mistakes.

To develop these skills, imagine what it is you want to accomplish. Picture how happy and proud you’ll be, and how proud those around you will be. This will be a source of motivation to stop you from giving up and to persevere despite the problems and frustrations you might encounter.

2. You need to be self-confident; you need to believe in yourself Self-confidence is very important when you want to accomplish a goal. You need to believe in yourself no matter what, which is the message I share in my book, “ Don’t Change” .

In my case, I hardly ever second-guessed myself, I kept thinking ‘why not?’. I guess I never really worried about what people thought of me or what they think I can do. After all, it’s easy for people to think that a fourteen-year old girl can’t publish her own book. But I never let those kinds of thoughts or comments get in my way.

For example, when I uploaded the eBook version of my book for sale on Amazon, although on my tablet it looked right, the preview on Amazon showed that the images were missing. To make things worse, my dad had already started telling people that they could buy the eBook version of my book not knowing that there was this problem. However, I wasn’t worried because I knew I could fix it, and sure enough, I was able to correct the mistake before anyone noticed or bought a copy of the eBook.

Some people always question their every move while others think ‘why not?’. Don’t be afraid to try new things or doubt your ability to do it. You might feel uneasy when trying new things but it’s important to believe in yourself and be willing to try.

Another important thing to remember is that you must not second-guess yourself because this will lead to disappointment, it can stress you out, and it can prevent you from achieving your goal.

Self-confidence is a skill you can develop, just believe in what you do and that you’re doing something that matters to you. And don’t let others tell you what you can or cannot do. This is necessary in life, not only to accomplish a goal but to live a happy life.

3. Patience and practice always makes it easier Life is not always easy, there will be difficult times or moments when you must do something complicated that you might not have done before. When you set a goal, it will take some time to do, so you need to be patient and not rush things.

When I was working on illustrating and designing the book, I sometimes got impatient because it took a lot of time and effort. Sometimes when I drew, my hand got sore because I was drawing for so long. I wanted everything to look amazing so I knew in advance I had to put a lot of time and effort in my work. Another thing I knew was that I had to practice sketching to figure out how to create the right shading and perspectives to make my drawings memorable and emotional.

When it comes to achieving your goal, you probably won’t get everything right the first time and this can bring you down. So you should practice the techniques needed to accomplish your goal because practice might not make perfect but it will improve your skills.

It’s hard to develop patience but it’s not impossible. One thing that can help is to do the procedure block by block, little by little. Also, try to plan in advance how much time you think a block will take. This way, you will not mind how long it takes for you to do it.

4. The encouragement of the people around you is also important Whenever you face a challenge, the encouragement of others will help you to get through the difficult times; the times when you want to give up because of an obstacle that’s standing in your way. Encouragement from others motivates you to keep going and it will make you even prouder when you are done because those around you understand what it took to accomplish it.

My family and friends supported me throughout the whole process of publishing my book. My dad sometimes helped me with my book, especially when I had to fix the book images or modify the computer coding for the eBook. My friends asked from time to time how the book was going and kept telling me how eager they were to see what the illustrated book would look like. That support and encouragement really helped me to keep going and even motivated me a bit to finish faster than I expected.

When setting out to achieve a goal, try to find people who will encourage you and support you, especially when you feel like giving up or if you face challenges that you think you can’t handle. Having people around you that believe in you will make it easier to keep at it.

Life is full of challenges but we can all get through them if we develop these skills – determination and curiosity, confidence and belief in ourselves, patience and practice, and knowing who we can count on for encouragement and support.

Believe in yourself because you can do anything. I know you can.

Alya Naseer is a two-time Academic Distinction award-winning student at Heritage Regional High School in the International Baccalaureate program. She is also the author of “ Don’t Change: A Mother’s Letter Of Love For Her Daughter” , a heartwarming, illustrated poem that encourages people to be themselves, no matter what those around them think or say.

You can buy her book “Don’t Change: A Mother’s Letter Of Love For Her Daughter” in print and eBook on Amazon.com (and on their international affiliate sites for Europe and Asia), as well as from Barnes&Noble . Canadian and international readers can get her book with FREE worldwide shipping from BookDepository.com . You can follow her on Twitter and Google+ .

This piece originally appeared on the KaurSkills website.

17 comments on “ A Teenager’s 4 Lessons On How We Can Face Any Challenge ”

Alya and Tanveer,

4 is so huge. Build a network of friends and if you have the support of your fam, and these buddies, you become invincible.

At more than 1 point during my entrepreneurial career a friend or family member spurred me on when I was floundering.

This is the power of a network of loving folks.

Thanks for sharing!

I am glad you enjoyed reading my piece! 🙂

My pleasure, Ryan; glad you enjoyed it.

Love these lessons! What a spectacular daughter–and family!

Thank you so much! It makes me so happy to hear comments like this! 🙂

Mirroring my daughter's comment, thanks James for the kind words; I really do appreciate it.

As a parent, I know you must be bursting with pride, to hear your daughter articulate what are fundamental life lessons that will set her up for not only great success but great happiness. Well written post that we can all learn from.

Thanks Lynn

Receiving comments saying that I did great definitely motivates me and proves to me that anything is possible! Thank you so much! 😀

That I am, Lynn. It's really been a joy to watch Alya transform her words and ideas not only into a book, but into writings like this one where she shares her own learning experiences for others to benefit from.

Alya, I love your book and have given copies of it to many people. I enjoyed reading your lessons here.

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed my book and this blog post! 🙂

Tanveer this advice should be included in school curricula worldwide!

I am honoured to receive such a kind compliment! It makes me so happy to hear feedback such as yours and I do wish to share my message worldwide so that girls learn to appreciate every trait, whether physical or a personality trait about themselves!

Congratulations, Alya! Your article will inspire many others to keep going when things seem too difficult. Thank you for sharing this powerful message that will help adults as well as teenagers.

Thank you so much for the congrats and I really appreciate your kind words! Thank you again! 🙂

Good stuff! Patience as a teenager was something I was definitely short on. I also agree that a strong support system has tremendous value.

Thank you! I always appreciate comments and feedback! 🙂

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