EncourageTheYouth

Keep Your Head Up

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:55:41 -0500

To all the youth out there,

I know its hard and to do what you do everyday…getting up early in the morning, facing sometimes people you don’t want to face, listening to teachers you may not want to listen to…but I wanted to encourage you by saying if you are doing that everyday then you are doing a great job and good things will come your way. An whenever times get hard please feel free to to talk to someone…don’t let all your hurt,anger or pain be bottled up inside. And if you have nobody to talk to…I am here and I’d love to listen to anyone that wants to share. The reason why is because I was a kid that was unheard and unseen…nobody wanted to hear what I had to say…I was being bullied,I was part of gangs, I did it all but now I’m an bestselling author and actor and I try to reach out to young people that was like me. That was depressed and had to deal with drama everyday of their life. If that person is you and you have knowone to talk to then hit me up. I don’t know if I can place links on here but I am easy to find. You can always google me my name is Darrius Garrett and I am one of the Original Freedom Writers that wrote the book Freedom Writers Diary that was made into a movie in 2007 starring Hilary Swank. Marcus the young kid that friend committed suicide in front of him is my character and is based ONLY on me from the homelessness,to the gangs etc. So trust me there is nothing that I haven’t heard and I want to be there to hear you. Be inspired and I can’t wait to talk to you.

Waldo Canyon Fire!

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:48:07 -0400

EncourageTheYouth’s home state of Colorado is currently suffering from SEVERAL wildfires! The damage our beautiful state is currently enduring is horrifying. Many people are beginning to lose their homes, belongings and even jobs. Dozens of animals ranging from common household pets all the way up to horses, cow and deers have been displaced due to this tragedy.

We ask our Hopeline supporters to post inspirational messages to ALL of those in our state, please extend a caring heart to us! We need positive vibes sent our way. So feel free to post any POSITIVE comments, photos or quotes on our Tumblr wall, on twitter @EncourageYouth or facebook @Hope line for Teenagers or our other facebook @encourage the youth

We would also like to send a HUGE thanks to all the awesome firefighters who are currently risking their lives to save our state and to those individuals who have donated supplies, money, time and prayers to these honorable men.

Thank you all so much for your continuous support and love, you are all AMAZING!

EncourageTheYouth!

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:37:16 -0400

Gary,

I am 20 years old, although I am not a teen anymore I am still dealing with a lot. I came down with a health issue when I was 13 years old that made me miss a lot of school. From then on things changed, I lost a lot of my friends. I became very suicidal, and started hurting myself. My high school ended up finding out along with my parents and my parents claimed it was a “phase”.

I took it upon myself to get help from a psychitrist who put me on meds. Things seemed to get better, but i still had episodes where I would hurt myself and think suicide was the only way out. I still have these feelings. 9 months ago, I was convinced I was going to kill myself b/c I was just so sick of living like this.

I get into stages where I feel better, and then worse again. Right now I’m ok, but I just wonder If I will ever get better?! Its been almost 8 years and I still feel this pain and thing these horrible thoughts. I go awhile without cutting or burning, then I relapse.

Advice?

I am very happy to hear that you took it upon yourself to seek help from a professional. I too have been in the same exact boat. My suggestion would be to find some sort of hobby. My personal remedy has been Martial Arts and MMA, believe it or not. Training and practicing relieves physical tension and mental stress. The physical activity helps keep my body healthy, which in turn, keeps my mind healthy. When you find something positive that makes you happy, be sure to stick with it!

I have lived with depression, anxiety, panic disorder etc for around 8 or 9 years myself, friend. I can tell you that it gets MUCH easier when you find a way that suits your personal needs. Do you enjoy art, writing, exercise, sports, or maybe even hangin’ out with some close friends? All of these are positive outlets that will ease your soul.

Also, be sure to visit your therapist regularly and be HONEST about your problems, otherwise, they cannot help you properly. If you feel that your current care plan is not benefiting your needs, be sure to speak up. Please keep in mind that suicide is a PERMANENT solution to a TEMPORARY problem!

Imagine where you want to be ten years from now, married, homeowner, what job, etc. Now draw out a year-by-year plan of how you are going to get there! you will be surprised at how much you can accomplish when you set personal goals for yourself.

I do hope that this has helped you out. If not, please contact me again, either here on tumblr, or on twitter @EncourageYouth, or facebook @Hope line for Teenagers.

Also, here is some emergency contact info if you are ever in critical need in help, if you ever feel you are going to physically harm yourself in ANY way, I urge you to call one of these numbers first. Keep in mind that I am NOT a professional, merely an advice-giver. These people can help you out much better than I.

-National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255): Suicide hotline, 24/7 free and confidential, nationwide network of crisis centers.

-National Hopeline Network 1-800-784-2433

Take care my friend! I hope to hear from you soon.
-Gary

there is a guy i like and give him all the time in the world, he says hes always busy and always has an excuse why he doesnt pay attention to me, sometimes i have gone days without him speaking to me.... is he worth the trouble to even fight for?

Tue, 29 May 2012 05:11:17 -0400

from the sounds of it, probably not. i’m sure you are in your teens and still in school. trust me, no one is worth your worries or tears during this time in life. you need to be having fun and making memories with friends. don’t waste your time chasing someone who isn’t willing to give you the time of day! i know it’s difficult when you really like someone. but believe me, when you start walking away, THEY will be the one chasing.

thanks for reaching out to us! we are glad to talk to you. be sure to come back if you need anything else, we hope we’ve helped!

-G

Do you think someone can be a Christian but still be attracted to girls? Like, I still think of guys like oh he's cute and he's sexy, but when I think about sexual things with a guy it's just kinda disgusting to me, but when I think about them with a girl they're not disgusting. Am I a lesbian? What's wrong with me? Ugh, I'm so confused!!!!

Tue, 29 May 2012 02:53:00 -0400

attempting to define your own sexuality is a near impossible trial. only your own heart can decide that. sexuality is not a choice, it is something that humans have hardwired into themselves. i would suggest taking labels out of the equation. don’t worry so much about being “straight”, “bisexual” or “lesbian”. instead think of people as individuals. ex; “oh he’s cute, i like him.” and “she’s pretty, i would like to talk to her.” don’t pursue someone based on their gender, pursue them because you are genuinely attracted to who they are as a person.

as for the religious aspect, don’t let any organization tell you what you are meant to be. if you are attracted to an individual of the same sex, so be it. try not to focus so much on that at such a young age. there are many groups that are very supportive of homosexual christians. check this page out for an example!

http://www.gaychristian.net/

i hope this helps, be sure to message us with some more info if you need anymore advice! thank you for your message, it means alot to us!

-G

EncourageTheYouth!

Tue, 01 May 2012 04:10:00 -0400

drunk driving is one of the most dangerous, careless things you could ever do.
please take a moment to consider all of the lives you put in harms way,
not just physically, but emotionally as well.
my heart and thoughts go out to those who have lost a loved one in pueblo, colorado this past weekend.

be sure to continue messaging and posting us. we love to hear whatever it is you wanna talk about. even if you just wanna tell us what a great day you’ve had :] remember, we are here to HELP and love EVERY SINGE ONE of you!

EncourageTheYouth!

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:43:20 -0400

don’t forget about us guys!

we are STILL here to answer any advice questions or help with any problems you may have.

be sure to click “submit anonymously” and ask away!

hope to hear from you all soon!

Photo

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:11:47 -0500

Photo

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:46:40 -0500

Sadly,

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:11:40 -0500

we will have to change our name.

we will now be known as EncourageTheYouth.

please share this info with all Hopeline4Teens followers and supporters,

we will still be ran by the same team, have the same goals and give the same great advice to those in need.

but we will be known as EncourageTheYouth.

we thank you all for your support and we hope you will continue to follow.

please repost this so more can see.

thank you,

-ETY Team.

I had to tell someone...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:01:36 -0500

-FOLLOWER SUBMISSON-

We are both transgender

We are both dealing with abusive families

We have both battled suicidal thoughts and self harm for years

We help each other fight through our depression, even in our darkest moments

He asked, and I said yes.

It can get better, and it WILL. You have to stay strong.

-END SUBMISSION-

wow that is so amazing! it’s very inspiring to hear that the two of you have made it so far together! :) it’s good to have someone by your side who understands what you are going through and is there to comfort you from a similar background. the fact that you were able to find each other in this huge world is astounding. you are both truly the epitome of love. i wish the both of you the best in your relationship, future and life in general. i hope you both stay in contact with us and we are happy to have your support! we are a team that was built to give hope, and you in turn, have given ME hope.

-Gary

i have and still sometimes have sucidial thoughts i started thinking of suicide as a way out just to relieve knowing that i wouldn't really do it but sometimes i am just fed up and want to end i constantly have people picking on me i shake it off but in my low moments i just can't i don't what to do i am just sick of people picking on me i can't even be myself i become the person they like because i am afraid of loosing them, my so called "friends" please offer effictive advice nt just be urself

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:28:51 -0500

i know the feeling, i went through the same thing during my first few years of high school. to be honest, i just endured it as heavily as i could and relied on my close group of friends. if you ever feel like the bullying is going too far, you should probably inform a teacher, i know it seems like being a “snitch”, but i wish i would have at the time. never be alone, bullies are cowardly people and they won’t mess with you if you are with a group of 3 or more people. suicide isn’t a way out, i know that now. i once thought that myself, but i now feel like such a better person and i’m happy i never did that to myself. one day you’ll realize that bullies are NOTHING, they are just a nuisance that you must tolerate for a short amount of time during your school life, you will see that these are the people that will amount to nothing in the future. keep your head up, don’t let them get the best of you.

-G

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Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:37:00 -0500

I would just like to say, I really believe that you guys saved my life a few weeks ago. I'm still struggling, but I'm getting better. So thank you <3 I'd hug you guys if I could :)

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:30:48 -0500

THIS IS WHY WE EXIST. This comment almost brought tears to my eyes. That honestly means everything to us. THANK YOU SO MUCH <3 <3

I love your blog alot. I think what your doing is really awesome. I just have some advice. I feel like some of your answers are great but I feel like you need to put more emotion into them. Idk I mean if someone says their suicidal it maybe isn't the best idea to tell them that many teens go through "suicidal stages" because suicide shouldn't be seen as a stage in life but an actual concern. Tell them their worth living. Show them how much you love them and want them to live.

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:30:05 -0500

One of the things this blog focuses on is giving realistic and honest answers. We don’t like to sugar coat anything. OF COURSE we believe that every life is worth living! We want to help as many people as possible! We also want to give them information that will be truthful and honest and real. We don’t want to tell people that life is going to be the best it has ever been tomorrow because what if it isn’t? It’s about holding on and waiting for those great days because we all have days that are horrible, some of us have years that are horrible but, that doesn’t mean that your life isn’t worth it. It just means you have to be a little bit stronger then other people. Every is capable of getting through the darkest of days that they can then reach the sunshine!. We want to support and talk to everyone and give them advice even if it means that sometimes the advice isn’t sugar coated. Thank you so much for your support and we love to hear suggestions!

Have all of the you who are giving advise been through something traumatizing or a suicidal period in your lives??

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:00:08 -0500

I personally have never attempted suicide or self harmed or anything of that sort, but I do know what it’s like to feel alone and not able to see the future being any better. I was a bully for about a week or 2 to a kid, and when i realized how much i hurt him, I decided that wasn’t who i wanted to be. -Danny…. Gary and Cheyenne have been through a lot, hopefully they’ll add to this!

Dear Danny, I see that you and your blog have been getting a lot of attention lately. I support what you are doing, but I do have a concern. Do you let your religious standpoints affect your advice you give out? Truthfully

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:25:44 -0500

Well, I don’t share my faith in every response, sometimes I will tell them about how God changed my life, but I won’t base everything on God. When it’s more personal (like a fb message) I will ask them if they’d like to learn about God, and if they do I’ll talk to them about it, but I don’t force any of my faith on anyone.

this is for danny, you saved my life freshmen year, even tho it was something you casued, when i said i was gonna kill my slef ur the only one who talked me out of it, everyone else just made it worse... i think u know who i am? altho we no longer speak.. thank you danny, YOU ARE THE REASON IM HERE TODAY!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:14:02 -0500

Awh… that’s soooo great to hear! I’m glad I made a difference in my life! Freshman year was when I really started doing this. I’m glad I could help you!! I can’t think of who you are right now, but if you’d like to tell me you can on facebook or you can text me, I’d love to talk to you about it!(: I’m sorry that I caused whatever hurt you, but glad I had the guts to fix it!

uhmm yes, i would just like to say i know how bad words can hurt and i think its great that you guys are doing this, just wondering where you guys were 2 years, could have really used someone to talk to i was at a point where i didnt want to live anymore. i had to get threw it all alone, i would like to be able to help people out this is a great we

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:23:25 -0500

Thank you so much for your support! The reason why I joined Hopeline4teens is because I felt the same way you did. I had to get through a lot of things on my own and in doing that I wish I had had someone to talk to! It would’ve helped me through a lot of hard times. Teenagers and young adults tend to feel pressured to bottle things up. This is a way they can openly express their thoughts and feelings without being judged. I hope we can help as many people as possible!

-C

I am female, 13, I struggle with depression, I'm bipolar, and I have a lot of other things that make my life harder. My boyfriend killed himself about a month ago, I was there and I saw him do it, I've been feeling really depressed and cutting myself and drinking, I've thought of suicide many times but have convinced myself not to. I'm running out of reasons why I shouldn't just end my misery. My mom is verbally abusive to me but non of my 3 siblings. I'm really hurting, I don't know what to do.

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:21:17 -0500

First off: Quit the drinking. Not only does Alcohol add to the depression and mood swings but it also makes you feel horrible. It’s another form of a drug and it is just covering up what you should be trying to sort through and deal with. I am sorry to hear about your boyfriend that’s really unfortunate, don’t you think he would’ve wanted you to have the happiest best life possible? Like if he were to write you from the grave what do you think he would say? I think he would’ve told you to live your life and find a way to be happy even though he couldn’t. It’s hard but you need to find someone a bit older to talk to. Someone that you can trust will be on your side and just listen. I am sure your mom is worried if you are drinking. You’re way to young to be self medicating that way. She’s probably just as scared as you are and I think you should talk to her. Have a heart to heart and cry on her shoulder. She is your mom and she does love you. As for the bipolar I know that is an extremely hard thing to deal with and you might want to consider medication, or meditation. Both are very affective and help a lot. Meditation helps you center your body and mind which prevents mood swings. It’s actually proven that meditation and help you live a healthier and happier life! So why not try it out it only take 30mins of silence a day to sit and try and clear your mind. If you think medication will help too, then I recommend seeing a doctor and discussing your symptoms. Usually at 13 a doctor WILL not diagnose someone as bipolar unless it is an extreme case because the mind is not fully developed until 21. So they don’t want to over medicate kids when they’re just suffering from “teenager” syndrome. Anyways try to cheer up and find some time for yourself. Stop the drinking and start focusing on what is really important for your age, school and being happy! I hope this helped.

-C