Editor’s Note: Kayla’s Korner will be a reoccurring column that deals with mental health and teenage issues.

When I was feeling upset, I isolated myself and did not tell anyone how I was feeling. Eventually, when I was about to reach my breaking point, I told someone. Telling someone saved my life.

If you are feeling:

• Anxious
• Depressed
• Low in energy
• Unmotivated
• Sad

The first thing you should do is talk about your feelings with someone or even yourself. You can talk to your friends or your family, and if you do not feel comfortable in talking to someone, you could always write everything down in a journal or just video yourself talking about what is going on.

Although you are not talking to someone, this could help you let go of these negative emotions and give yourself your own advice as you work through what you are feeling.

I remember when I first got medication, I filmed myself researching about it and how I felt towards it. I kept saying that I was scared and I worked through it as I researched more and more about what it does.

I also did, and still do, a lot of journaling just to let out all of my emotions. I especially do this when I am angry as it really calms me down.

Talking to someone, if you are able to, really does help. Whoever you talk to can give you advice or could just be there as someone who listens.

I also would really recommend seeing a therapist — it really is beneficial. Whoever you see, they are trained to help you through your problems and to listen. Most therapists are covered by insurance, so it should be easy for most people to get one.

It is really important to know that these feelings are temporary. I used to think that I would always be down and not want to do anything. But it was only short-term. I got through these feelings and knew that even though they would come again, they would soon go away.

It is also good to learn to live with these feelings as there are always times where you are going to be sad or anxious. You could do this by learning different coping skills or just knowing that these feelings will pass.

Another thing that really helps me when I am feeling down or not like myself is doing something that makes me happy.

I love seeing my friends. They always know how to make me laugh and forget about everything.

However, sometimes, I do not want to see or talk to anyone. These days, I usually watch makeup tutorials on Youtube (which are really calming) or I listen to rap music (to really get me out of my funk). I also find myself watching a lot of Harry Styles confused moments videos.

Even making yourself smile for one second could pull you out of your funk. I try to make myself laugh which is really easy. This always makes me smile and get out of what I was originally feeling. How do I do this, though?

Well I really like jokes, especially bad ones. These always make me crack up.

Distracting yourself can also be helpful. Just getting your mind off of what you are thinking about can easily make you forget about it. This happens a lot to me during school as I will be really upset, but then I would have focus for a test coming up. I would try to immerse myself in my work and that usually helps.

I also try to set a do-to list for myself when I am feeling down. This sounds kind of weird, but I really like writing things down and then completing them. This can help distract you and in the end make you feel accomplished and good about yourself.

If you are ever feeling down or not yourself, just know that it is okay to feel like this. It is normal. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can always reach out to me!

Coming next: Kayla’s Korner will be continuing with weekly articles. Next week will discuss the recent CBS article on a new study that has linked phone use with mental health issues in teens.