Teen Breathe Magazine – Issue 50

In this issue:Flight of fancy • All of me • Smartphones: to ban or not to ban? • Playing out • Give your heart wings • So annoying! • For the love of lists • Up, up and away!

What does being yourself mean to you? It’s perhaps easy to think that it implies being just one way all the time. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

For instance, you might have a very sociable side that thrives on getting friends together for some fun, but also a quieter side that loves to make regular time for curling up with a book or spending time in nature.

Neither of these sides is less authentic or less worthy than the other. They’re simply two parts of a varied and interesting whole.

It’s also completely natural to act differently depending on who you’re with or where you are. This doesn’t mean you’re not being yourself – you’re just showing different sides of yourself.

It’s a good idea, though, to make sure you’re not denying your true self in the process – such as keeping quiet about your opinion because it differs from someone else’s or pretending to like something that you don’t – as that can damage self-confidence.

So, remember that being yourself encompasses many different ways of behaving and thinking – and that it’s important to embrace them all – so go ahead and celebrate every part of you.