Living in the moment doesn’t erase depression—but it gives you power over it.
Teenagers—Just Do It!
Best Life Live It: Teenage Depression Today.
Every year around this time, adults reflect on their goals—measuring wins and losses, planning for the future. And while that’s helpful, I want to challenge teens to do something different this year:
Live. Just live.
Start with this quote:
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
— George Bernard Shaw
Stop worrying about what you still need to do, fix, achieve, or perfect. Let go of the pressure to have it all figured out. Instead, focus on this moment, right here. That’s where real life begins.
Live One Successful Moment at a Time
Inspiring thoughts don’t always come naturally—especially when depression makes everything feel heavy. You might think happiness is something you can earn once everything’s in place: goals met, checklist completed, scars healed.
But the truth is:
You’re already enough. Already powerful. Already worthy.
You don’t need to “find” yourself—you just need to become you.
When you stop racing toward tomorrow and start noticing today, you gain clarity. Not just about life, but about yourself—what you like, what matters to you, and what kind of life you want to build.
Planning is great. But so is pausing. So is breathing. So is being.
Strengthen the Positive, Reject the Negative
That doesn’t mean pretending everything’s okay when it’s not. It means choosing to feed what lifts you up instead of what drags you down. It’s tough—but not impossible.
Every moment you claim for yourself makes you stronger. Every choice to keep going builds resilience. And yes—there will be hard days. But there will also be you—still standing, still growing.
3 Quick Inspirational Messages for Teen Life
1. Be Still. Eyes Closed. Just Breathe.
Turn off your phone. Close your laptop. Mute the noise.
Sit with yourself—your thoughts, your emotions, your presence.
What would you do without distractions? What brings you peace when no one is watching? When you find it—go do that.
2. Try 100% Living
We spend so much time half-doing everything. Multitasking, rushing, overthinking.
Try being fully present with one thing. Just one. Whether that’s brushing your teeth, walking your dog, or journaling.
You might be surprised how peaceful “just one thing at a time” can feel.
3. Motivational Words for the Soul
Talk to yourself. Gently. Respectfully. Tell yourself where you are.
“Yes, I’m feeling low. But I’m here.”
“Yes, I’m hurting. But I’m learning.”
“Yes, I’m lost. But I’m still moving.”
Depression doesn’t define you. You do.
Memories are made in the moment.
If you want to create a future you’ll be proud of, it starts by choosing this moment.
So, How Do You Live Your Best Life?
One breath at a time.
One choice at a time.
One moment at a time.
Want to share your own small step forward?
Drop it in the comments below. Let’s celebrate each win—big or small—together. 💬
It’s probably hard for a kid that age to hear this, but it truly is an important message.
Robin Rue, yes, it’s probably hard for a teen to hear this message but my hope parents will reach this message. Thanks for your support.
These are great tips! It is something that I will be watching in my kids and make sure that they are doing OK.
it can sometimes be difficult for people to tell the difference between teenage depression and moodiness. Thanks for the tips
Thank you for the lovely tips. Sometimes it’s hard for teenagers to really get a hold of what is really going on.
I like that line – “Memories are made in the moment.” SO true and such a great thing to remember!
This is a great post for people to revisit when they’re going through depression. I love that third idea.
It’s a nice message you’re putting it out there. Always look on the good side of things. It should at least sway us away from getting depressed.
This is definitely helpful. I think trying to inspire and motivate is a good way to show support to a teen who is experiencing depression.
What a wonderful post! It is so important to change our mindsets to help us learn to be happy and live in the moment. Life is about the journey, but it is so easy to get bogged down by depression and negative thoughts.
Great inspiration article. I love the quote ”Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” Also live life to the fullest and surround yourself with loved ones. Spend lots of time with your kids. You never know what the next day will bring.
These are very helpful tips. It is very important that we show our support and do our best to inspire a teen who is experiencing depression.
What a great message to send out to teens who are fighting depression. It is important to constantly inspire them and be always there for them.
These are great tips for everyone! I like the idea of giving 100% to the moment and slow down a bit on the multitasking
What a powerful message and very important topic – thanks for talking about it and for inspiring our youth!
I am glad to see so much attention paid to this because it is hard for parents to somehow see a difference between true depression and just being a teen. Or to know what to do. More info and more education are the answers.
Carol Cassara, Yes, sometimes it is difficult to know whether your teen is depressed or going through a phase. Hopefully reading, sharing thoughts teachers an parents can become aware of signs of teenage depression.
Great helpful tips. Teenagers will surely benefit from this. Thanks for putting this up.
As a former teacher I know how serious this is. One must always pay attention to the signs.
This is a great message – thanks for sharing. It is important for everyone (especially young people) knows there is help and things can be better if you ask for help.
What a great message. Wish I heard this as a teenager
This is very helpfu. I love the inspiring quotes.
Thank you for the great tips. They will be very helpful.
Thats the problem there is a stigma surrounding depression and the government need to do more to support those with mental health issues.
You maybe right Ana De-Jesus. But also Parents need to not ignore signs of depression in their child.
This is such a great message for young people to learn. I taught middle school and this would have been very useful. Thanks for sharing.
I will have a teenager soon! My first born will be 13 late this year so really thanks for sharing this!
Mommy Pehpot, your daughter will be fine. You are aware of signs of teenage depression. I think you will know if your daughter is just having a bad day.
Thank you so much Patrice for all the dedication and hard work you do to raise awareness for Teenage depression. It is a hard thing teenagers have to go through and as parents. we must do everything to help them overcome it.
Annemarie LeBlanc, You are welcome. Bringing Parents together to understand that what their child is going through may not be a phased. Teenage depression need to be taken seriously. Thank you for your support.
i love what you said about memories being made by living in the moment. that is so true
Teenagers can be so moody at times that we have to pay close attention. Paying close attention will help us to determine if this is just moodiness or something more serious like depression.
Mardene Carr, You are correct often teens moody behaviors are overlooked as nothing more than tantrum or phase. When it is depression.
Looking back, I think my daughter might have experienced some level of depression, particularly as she compared her life with her fellow teenagers. With consistent and open communication about our circumstances as well as my continually reminding her that she is a princess, a price and a jewel and that the world is hers to conquer, she never fell into chronic or near chronic depression. That I think ought to be part of every parent’s tool kit.
Claudette, Good that you were able to see the sign an take action . By uplifting your daughter spirit it help. Many has a lot of stressors having a parent who is intuitive is great.
Every time my daughter gets moody, I worry. These are great tips and I will definitely keep this in mind.
That is absolutely a great post. It was helpul and thank you for making me inspired
What a truly amazing message. I think the more we speak about issues like these and start open conversations the better off we will be.
Amber, we need to talk more,do more, support teens an parents who are struggling with doubts or myth whether it’s depression!
This is a important topic and it’s important to be able to spot the difference in behaviours.
I really like the idea of doing 100%. Distractions are a dime a dozen and we fall for them over and over again.
Thanks for bringing this into the spotlight! Depression is definitely a topic that we need to talk more about
Teenage depression has become so very common these days. Great post to spread awareness.
You maybe correct! Teenage depression maybe common but Parents still ignoring the sign.
This is a very inspiring message not just for the teens. The adults could use this as well.
Love the idea of motivational words for the soul. We all need this!
These are great tips. I think we all need to start from that place of remembering that we’re already winners.
Yes indeed!
This is a very important topic. Thanks for sharing great tips. Depression is a serious health problem
This is such a great message. I try and be as active in my kids’ lives as I can and I think that helps a lot. Thanks for the tips.
Being a teen is hard in today’s world when creating yourself means dealing with the thoughts of other people.
Teenage depression is definitely something that is real and even if your teenager is not going through it now, they may at some point. Or they may know someone who is. It’s important to gain greater understanding so we can help others.
Shannon Gurney, Its important as Parents to know the signs of Teenage Depression…We never know when it may hit close to home. Thanks for your support.
Such an important message for teens and others to hear. Every person who struggles with depression needs to know he or she is precious and loved.
Great tips and so glad you have this dialog going on your site. Thank you for sharing.