Have you ever found yourself crying for no reason? Or maybe your chest feels tight and you just feel a certain weight on you.

You may also feel like being alone a lot of the time and think negative thoughts about yourself. Don’t worry! It’s ok to feel like this sometimes. You are not alone and you definitely matter.

When we’re growing up we experience all sorts of emotions. Sometimes we’re up, then we’re down, then we’re back up again. My friend Lewa came to me last week feeling down. I was able to help her because I was feeling the exact same way last month. The good thing about bad feelings is that they always pass. Last month I felt helpless but now I’ve been able to use what I learnt to help my friend out.

Here’s the advice I gave her that can work for you too.

1. Always remember that you are never alone. We all have similar experiences of happiness and sadness. It’s a natural part of life. We can’t be happy all the time and we won’t remain sad forever. If you’re feeling low remember you have your fellow Springsters and Big Sisters that you can come here and talk to. You should also open up to your crew about how you feel, you never know who can help.

2. Have a happiness plan. When we go through puberty our emotions are all over the place. So in preparation for the bad days you can create a happiness plan of all the things you can do to make yourself laugh and feel better. For me, my activities involved being with friends. Like swimming with Amira or baking cakes with Cecile. Doing things you love with people you love makes you feel better quicker.

3. Practice gratitude. A bad day doesn’t mean a bad life so always try and look at the bigger picture. Writing down 5 things you are grateful for everyday can put you in an amazing mood.

In general talking to friends really helps because you quickly realise you are never alone in what you are going through, and if other girls can survive then so can you.