At that time I was really attached to people. I started to feel more and more left out by my friend group and I couldn’t understand how and why. I asked them if I had done something wrong and they always replied that everything was fine. They even began not hanging out with me, not inviting me places, not talking to me. I was so confused, they had become so distant, I thought I was the problem, I didn’t know what to do and this led me to having social anxiety and depression.

My grades dropped, I didn’t pay much attention to my classes, I kind of lost my appetite, I was bullied and I always felt lonely, but besides all of this I managed to make a good friend that stood by me.

”You were a very shy girl, you didn’t trust talking to anyone and you were afraid to make friends. Before I met you, you were like a shadow.’’ my best friend, Sebastian Rusnac explained to me.

My mother, Mihaela Tutunariu, said , ”You were devoid of motivation, apathetic, without the desire to do anything. You could not find joy in the things that made you happy until then. You were waiting for a miracle to happen that would help you regain your appetite for life. And the miracle came: you have gained a friend for life who has been by your side, understood you and supported you.’’.

In those moments I really felt lost and that I didn’t fit in this world, but with the help of my friend and mother that were always there for me I could escape from that ”jail’’. Only they knew what issues I was going through. I’m grateful for everything they did to make me happy again, to make me see colors again.

I think the first moments from birth to adulthood are some of the toughest and most crucial times of our lives because they shape who we become.

The photo was also taken on the way to school representing being lost. PICTURE: Serena Tutunariu. Image: Serena Tutunariu.

I want parents to understand the problems their kids are going through. If you want to have a strong connection with your child, be there for him. Educatiepentruviata.ro says ,”Working with teenagers we noticed that what is really important is that you, the adult, need to be able to understand the perspective of the other, to enter his universe of searching. The door opens once you are ready to see, hear and understand what is beyond.’’.

Communication plays an important role in stabilizing the bond between humans, as Lifeup.ro shows that ”That is why at this age parents should create a climate of emotional safety around the teenager, to accompany him in his process of discovering his own personality, to make him feel loved and admired for what he is, to assist him with warmth and forbearance in his process of decoding experiences and withholding lessons from these, to help him develop the best in him.’’.

Don’t forget that you’re not alone and that there are people who really care about you.