TEENS: I feel it's important to pass along what hopefully will be practical and useful information about a variety of topics, especially when I receive a preponderance of letters on the topic. It is always important to be in a position to help as many others as possible when we go about our business in our daily lives. One never knows when we ourselves or those around us might benefit from resources to help push past what is sometimes called the "blues" and other times may be referred to as the "blahs."

Sometimes, life gets us down and we experience the blues in a way that seems as if they will last forever. This of course is not necessarily true, but in order to break out of that mindset, a good first step is to acknowledge that happiness is something that must be actively sought out when battling the blues. Being proactive is a far better strategy than remaining sedentary and reactive. It's important to take steps to get moving forward in order to break out of the funk that can gather around you like a dark, gray cloud.

Here are a few tried-and-true strategies especially for teenagers, designed to help them break free from feeling blue, listless, hopeless or in a constant state of malaise.

No. 1: Realize that there are many roads to happiness, not just one. Too often, teenagers become convinced there is only one perfect road for them or one perfect relationship outcome. If they fail to attain it, despair quickly sets in. Stay flexible, and realize that rigid goals and outcomes may not only be unrealistic but also dangerous to mental health if not attained perfectly. A key to happiness and satisfaction is to maintain a flexible and expectant attitude that allows for a variety of perfectly acceptable outcomes to any topic or situation. The adage "One door closes and another one opens" truly does apply especially to those experiencing their teen years.

No. 2: Be willing to try something new. Give new activities a chance and be willing to challenge yourself in new ways. Remember that you can always pull back quickly from any activity, new hobby or endeavor that you discover you truly dislike. But by trying a handful of new things, a few are quite likely to be both enjoyable and satisfying on multiple levels. New activities often bring the bonus of new acquaintances, and there is a definite correlation between new acquaintances and new friends that are acquired. Trying new activities, expanding one's mind and developing new skills along the way can pay rich rewards in many ways. Whenever feeling down or blue, seek out an interesting new activity to try whenever one presents itself in the course of daily life. There's no better time to try an interesting new activity than today.

No. 3: Providing care, assistance or doing volunteer work to the benefit of others can pay great emotional dividends. There is something special about helping others even when you feel silently down yourself. This type of activity is nearly always a mood lifter for everyone involved. There are children's hospital wards, retirement homes, animal rescue shelters and many other venues that could truly benefit from your presence and effort toward helping others.

No. 4: When feeling blue, try to slow things down a bit. For some people, especially very busy teenagers, trying to keep up with a hectic pace can be emotionally taxing. Seek to do less and take mental health breaks for activities like hiking, swimming, working out and even just socializing at a leisurely pace with good friends. Try not to look at life as a competition but rather as an important journey that allows for alternating periods of hard work and relaxation. Take out a sheet of paper when life gets too frantic and list everything you are trying to do. Seek to trim a handful of the lowest value items off of the list and replace that time with the leisurely activities listed above — or create your own list of your preferred ways to decompress. Then write those items in as priorities and be sure to have some time to enjoy them.

No. 5: Run your own race; live your own life. Resist the urge to compare yourself and your life to others. Be yourself and rate your life on how true you are to yourself and what you aim to accomplish. Compare who you are today with who you were in years past, and marvel at the progress you've made. Then let your mind project toward the future and imagine where you'd like to be in a year or two or five. Focus more on your own big, long-term picture and ignore the urge to keep up with everyone else trying to impress each other in the moment. Too often, teenagers who are feeling blue are in this state due to unnecessary comparisons they make with what they see online. Many teens may not realize that not everything posted on line is actually true. Ignore that noise and focus instead on what makes you happy and what activities you enjoy participating in. Running your own race at your own pace with a long-term perspective is key here. The short-term quickly evaporates; the long-term is enduring. Start to regularly play the long game in your life, and even in a short period of time you'll feel satisfied with both the progress you're making and how this mode of your own journey is much more enjoyable.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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