Ever since I was seven years old, I’ve always wanted to write books. I would write short stories and journal all the time. And after all this time, here I am, with this book, Uplift Teens Today, as a result of all the twists and turns my life took in the past few years. Just a few years ago, I used to live in Ireland and then everything changed when I moved here with my family. I had so many friends there, I loved my school, spent so much time with my family, and was really having the best time, never having gone through any big struggles. All this changed when my parents decided to move from Ireland to the US. At the beginning I was incredibly excited, but didn’t know what it all meant until we started packing and were ready to make that move. The initial months of the move made me face so many new emotions in life, and I had no clue what I was going through. I couldn’t talk to anyone because I didn’t know that what I was going through was something that I needed help with.

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Only when everything got piled up, and one day I just burst out crying, that my parents and sister realized I was going through these emotions but didn’t let them out. I was so anxious, and my breathing became heavy. My parents and sister hugged me and reminded me about how important it is to share my emotions. My mom shared the quick meditation tip that we used to do in Ireland. This really helped me to calm down and from then on, whatever emotion I used to go through I shared it with them and then they helped with tools and techniques to adapt to change in a positive way.

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This open conversation not only helped me but my friends too. This inspired me to start the Think Positive club in my school so that we could help more peers. As part of the club, we used to have open spaces for everyone to share and learn from each other. We also brought in guest speakers who would share their experience and tools and techniques to help us as part of our daily lives. This book is an accumulation of all those learnings and practical tips that have worked for me and for other peers. To further connect to you all, I have shared my own journey of life, highlighted the challenges I faced, and the tools that I used to help myself along the way. Look out for the lightbulbs, that’s where the tools will be!

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The tool that really helped me the most through this is the square breathing technique. This helped me calm down and ground myself. It’s really simple and can be done anywhere at any time. For this tip, you imagine a square and follow along the sides. While imagining each of the sides labeled with 1, 2, 3, and 4. Along the first side, breathe in for four counts. Then, hold for four counts, breathe out for the next four, and finally, rest for the remaining four counts. And you can do as many rounds as you would like.

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Through this book, my goal is to reach out to as many of you as possible, so you can pick tools and techniques that work for you and make them a routine in your daily life, share it with your friends, and spread the positive vibe around.

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We all have tough times in life, and it's about how we bounce back from those experiences with new learnings. I hope the tools and techniques outlined in this book can help you in those moments.  I would also like to acknowledge a deep gratitude to you for picking this book and helping break the mental health stigma through helping yourself and others. I hope you relate to my story as it's connected to all of us and know that you are not alone. We are all in this together and it will get better.

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This book is for everyone - and that includes adults too. I have shared many family bonding tips that my family got to implement and practice and have seen change in our lives, as well as many individual tips and tools.

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I hope you enjoy reading this and that it can help you in one way or another. You are not alone and you got this.

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"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." ― Dumbledore

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Warmly,

Taanvi Arekapudi

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P.S. Be the Best You, that You can Be!