The James Logan Courier

By Paul Tran, Courier Staff Writer

When reaching adolescence, it’s natural for teenagers to start feeling lonely. When you begin to develop your own ideas, you can begin to think that nobody understands you, or that you don’t belong. Students find different methods to deal with this feeling, ranging from subtle to aggressive, and unhealthy to harmful.

When asked about their experiences with loneliness, Ariy Castro, a Junior, said, “When I first moved here, I had no friends, so I would spend my days stuffing my face with Cheez-its and watching re-runs of Degrassi,” and Katelin Kasilag, also a Junior, said, “I listen to sad music and eat lots of ice cream. Pretty much what I do on my period.” Other students, however, are not as passive in dealing with their feelings of depression.

Sometimes students feel trapped and devastatingly lonely, not feeling capable of expressing or relieving themselves of their feelings.

Cassandra Quero, a Freshman, says ,“Sometimes when a friend seems to ignore or pick someone else over, I can feel lonely and betrayed. I don’t do anything about it. I just stay feeling depressed and don’t cope.”

Bottling up your feelings like this can be harmful, both mentally and emotionally. It can cause students to fall into even deeper depression and even begin practice self harm.

Sara Malakzay, a Junior, is moving to Sacramento, where she’ll be forced to make new friends. “I plan on going to the library with my sister, and then try to naturally make friends, but you can still feel lonely even if you’re around lots of friends.”

Bracing herself for feeling lonely beforehand will assist her in coping with it. Sara is likely to be able to relieve herself of her loneliness quickly, as she is already prepared to deal with it