1 . Finding the words to explain how you feel isn’t always easy. This is why young people’s mental health charity has made “My Voice Matters” the theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week.

Do you have trouble sharing your thoughts or worry no one will listen if you do? Making your voice heard means understanding that your words matter and your opinions count. Dr Julia Clements, a psychologist, says that it means expressing your views, thoughts and feelings, not bottling them all up, and being open to hearing the thoughts, feelings and views of others too.     2     In fact you don’t have to use your voice at all. “You can express what you like and don’t like or what you want for the future by writing or drawing instead,” says Clements. “It’s about finding ways to share what matters to you,” she explains.

    3     Scientists have discovered that sharing your feelings produces a feel-good chemical in your brain that makes you feel relaxed and calm. Your voice can make a big difference to other people too, including friends and families. Clements says, “You can spread kindness and happiness simply by speaking. With a few kind words, you could help someone feel good about themselves or let them know they are supported.”     4    

Clements suggests practising conversations with friends, parents or carers on the way home from school and seeing if you have different opinions about something. If you’re struggling to explain your feelings, find a way that feels right for you, whether it’s talking face-to-face or writing it down.     5     When you’re ready, “Take a deep breath and believe in yourself,” says Clements. “Know that your opinion matters.”

2 . When your best friends are upset, sad, or disappointed, all you want to do is lift their spirits. Here are some easy ways to cheer them up.

Help your friend clean their room.

Being surrounded by a mess doesn’t do much for your mental state.     1     Helping your friend straighten up their room gives you something productive to do together. Plus, when they’re on their own, they can relax in a clean, peaceful space.

Encourage them to talk it out.

Talking is effective. Teenagers usually want someone to talk to when they are stressed.     2     If they aren’t interested in talking, invite them to do an activity with you and they will likely start talking.

Practice gratitude.

Thinking about and focusing on the good things in your life can do wonders for lifting your spirits. Help your friend turn their attention to those things.     3    

    4    

Staying active can help get depression (抑郁) away. Invite the person to join you in a dance class or anything else they may have mentioned before that they wanted to try out but never have. Fun time with friends is surely helpful.

Do an aimless act of kindness together.

    5     So go out, do things, even small things (e.g., opening a door for someone, paying for someone’s drink, smiling at and greeting a stranger. etc.), for others and see how your day changes.

3 . Five misunderstandings about loneliness

At some point in our lives, the chances are that you and I will feel lonely. It’s a problem that’s getting a lot of attention. It’s an important topic and one that causes a lot of misery, but there are plenty of misunderstandings surrounding it.

    1    

Feeling lonely is not the same as being alone. Loneliness is a sense that no one around you really understands you and that you don’t have the kind of meaningful connections you would like. Sometimes we want to be alone. But if we don’t have the choice to spend time with people who understand us, that’s when loneliness strikes.

There’s an epidemic(流行) of loneliness at the moment.

Loneliness is undoubtedly getting more common.     2     It is true that the actual number of lonely people are rising simply because there are more people in the world.

Loneliness is always bad.

Loneliness hurts. But it shouldn’t be seen as entirely negative.     3    . Or it can be a sign to find a way of improving our existing relationships.

Loneliness leads to ill health.

    4     But it could also happen the other way around. People could become isolated and lonely because they already have poor health, which stops them from socialising.

Most older people are lonely.

Loneliness is more common in old age than in other adults, but in her review of loneliness across the lifespan, Pamela Qualter found there is also a peak in teenage years.     5    

4 . Studies have shown optimistic thinking leads to a positive attitude and that people with positive attitudes live healthier, happier and longer lives. Here are some benefits of staying positive in life.

Better feeling. When you’re positive, you will feel happy and satisfied with what you are doing. Moreover, you’ll feel better about life.     1    

More energy. When you have less stress and worry in life, you will have extra energy to do what you love, and you will be active. Being stressful and not being able to see the bright side of life steal your energy.     2     Energize yourself by simply changing the way you think.

Great first impression. If you positively think about your priority (优先权), you will always make a great first impression. A good first impression depends largely on good personalities.     3     Besides, a good first impression can have a big impact on the development of your future relationships—both personal and professional.

Better health.     4     Even scientific studies have shown that people with positive attitudes are less likely to suffer from depression and that they get ill more rarely than the negative thinkers. Positive thinkers are often less stressed, have lower blood pressure and are often more active.

    5     Fear results from negative thoughts. Being a positive thinker removes fear. Courage comes from the fact that you can deal with whatever happens in your life if you stay positive.

5 . Ask most people which day of the week they fear the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the working week can make us depressed.     1    

The most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January, when it’s cold and dark outside. This day was named “Blue Monday” by psychologist Cliff Arnall. Even if there was little science behind Blue Monday, it’s probably true that the sound of our alarm clock on any Monday morning means the coming of a new working week and possibly the end of our weekend of fun.     2     It’s what psychologists call an emotional shift, and no other part of the week has a transition(过渡) like it.

Apparently, Monday means the end of weekend lie-ins.     3     According to a website, “If you can’t stand your job, then the Monday blues can be very real.” And it can be especially difficult to start another seemingly endless workweek. Your case of the Mondays can have a negative impact on your performance, productivity and the people around you.

    4     Feeling a bit low shouldn’t be confused with more serious depression, caused by other factors. Claudia Hammond, an author and presenter, argues that this low feeling might be untrue.     5     She mentions an Australian study of how people reflected on their mood and found the day that scored the lowest was in fact Wednesdays. So, when Monday comes, maybe we should give it a second chance!

6 . Shyness is normal and it is not considered as a mental problem. All people have been shy at one time or another. Even the most confident people experienced being shy.     1    .

You probably are wondering why you are shy. It may be because of the environment you were used to or the way you were brought up. Certain events or incidents in the past may also lead to the reason why you are shy now.     2     Most shy people have shy parents and relatives and it is not surprising to find out that they too have become shy persons.

One of the negative sides of being shy is having the tendency to be passive. Most of the time shy people can’t stand up for themselves and what they believe is right.     3    This apparently influences their social life as well as work, family and other aspects of their life.

While shyness has negative aspects, it has positive sides. Shy people are usually good observers and do not get themselves into too much trouble because they try to observe their environment or any situation before they act.     4     They can also make great friends. Since they have difficulties in social scenes, making friends seems to be a must. Therefore, they value their friends wholeheartedly and have proven to be loyal and thoughtful friends.

    5     Some of them born with shy parents have successfully battled against being shy. This contributes to their constant self-improvement, developing self-esteem and trying to be exposed to new environments.