Be yourself because YOLO! Unfortunately kids at school are concerned an awful lot about their social status.

We feel the need to stay up with trends in order to protect our image.

If you’re in high school, you may contradict what I am saying but we do things subconsciously so that we don’t look like a ‘nerd’ or a ‘freak’.

If you wear glasses and you’re good at maths, you’re automatically labelled as a ‘nerd’ or if you have long hair and usually wear black, you’re a ‘goth’. Despite the main purpose of schools, image comes before education for our generation.

We lose ourselves because we want to please our friends or the people who we wish were our friends.

‘Just be yourself’ is the moral behind every teen movie ever produced, okay a slight exaggeration but you get the point.

However, the majority do not act upon this cliché. Why? Well the reason is that we worry people will not accept us the way we are.

Yes, this is true in many cases. Being yourself will help you to stand out from the crowd which has several benefits but along with it some difficulties.

Bullying is common, too common. It takes place every day at every school and in many scenarios; no one will take action causing the issue to mount.

The chances of you being the victim of bullying increases massively if you’re different which is one of the reasons why we struggle to accept the challenge to be ourselves.

Never let anyone make you feel inferior or worthless, learn to ignore and love yourself.

Though if the issue becomes unbearable, tell someone or stand up to the bully and never let them win.

Don’t stop doing things you love just because it will affect other people’s perception of you. Do the things YOU want because YOU want to and you will find friends who like you just the way you are, whether you’re the ‘nerd’ or the ‘goth’.

YOLO is a phrase which is frequently used by teenagers online, not sure why, did everyone think we could live twice before?

Anyway, act upon the phrase, despite it being obvious; it is true, so don’t try to be something you’re not - as you don’t get another chance.

For those above the age of 25, YOLO is an abbreviation for ‘You Only Live Once’. Mariyah is a Year 11 Pupil at Pleckgate High School