Feeling Understood

Dear Cathy

I love your books. I swear I’d go nuts if I couldn’t step into the cool worlds you’ve created and hang out with characters like Ginger, Sam, Scarlett, Kian and Mouse… your books keep me sane!

Ally, age 12

Dear Cathy

People give me stick because I love bands like MCR, YouMeAtSix and Green Day, but I love them so much – it’s like they really understand ME, somehow. Those songs say what I’m feeling!

Mandy, age 13

Reading and listening to music are two of my favourite ways to relax when life gets stressy… maybe they’d work for you too? Like Ally, I love to open the pages of a novel and fall into someone else’s daydream… it’s a perfect escape. It’s a great feeling when you identify with a character or situation, or feel that the story has captured your imagination, taught you something or really got you thinking. When I’m really busy, I’ll wake up extra early so as not to miss out on that little chunk of fantasy time… again, like Ally, it keeps me sane.

For Mandy, listening to music is like that too. The bands she likes make her feel understood, accepted. She learns from the songs, sees her feelings reflected in the lyrics and expressed in the music… no wonder kids who like the same bands connect so easily! There are some bands I feel this way about too… bands whose lyrics and music seem to have a hotline to my soul.

Whether you’re dancing around the living room in your PJs to a happy tune or hugging your pillow and wiping away the tears as a sad song plays, listening to music is cool. Bit by bit, you are putting together the soundtrack of your life!

Express Yourself!

Dear Cathy

Nobody told me being a teenager would be so stressy. School, tests, stroppy friends, crazy parents, boys who can’t decide what or who they want… I’d go mad if I didn’t have my piano playing. I pour all my feelings into playing and it definitely helps me to cope.

Emz, age 13

Hello Cathy!

I love acting. I’m quite shy, but when I’m playing a part I forget myself completely and almost become the character. I love it…

Naomi, age 14

Hi Cathy

I love dance. I do ballet, modern and street and I practise every day. If I’m feeling down, dancing always cheers me up – it’s just the way I express myself and my feelings.

Maddy, age 12

Some hobbies are creative, expressive and imaginative… they can really help us to channel our feelings and energy into something positive and cool. Emz, Naomi and Maddy are lucky they have hobbies that they can really pour themselves into, hobbies that are an escape, a challenge. A hobby that you love can be a lifesaver.

What if you don’t have a hobby? Research suggests that learning new things can boost our self-esteem and happiness levels, so maybe it’s time to find yourself a great new hobby! Whether it’s learning the saxophone (like Sam Taylor in GingerSnaps) or learning how to bake cool cakes (like the ones in Angel Cake), a new hobby could put a smile on your face for keeps!