Your body is changing, your friends may change, you have to make decisions about your future and your hormones are surging, causing strong sexual feelings and mood swings, that may at times be severe. You may sometimes feel that you have become a stranger to yourself, but the good news is that this doesn't last forever. And more good news is that this is also a time of new discoveries and interests.

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There will come a time when things settle down and you will feel more at home with who and what you are.

Peer pressure is very strong at this time in your life – you want to fit in with the crowd, not stand out and not be seen as being too different. This finds expression in choice of clothing, choice of friends and choice of activities. This is entirely normal. It is also entirely normal not to want to conform on all things. You can still be your own person if you want to be – not letting everything in your life be determined by the crowd you're in, is probably a healthy thing.

This is a time in your life where you will possibly have your first kiss, start going out with members of the opposite sex, or the same sex, depending on whether you're gay or straight, and start experimenting on a sexual level. Just remember that sex is a very emotional thing – make sure you're ready for it and also make sure you know what you're doing, so you don't pick up sexually transmitted diseases or get pregnant. Wise up! It is also quite OK to decide to wait – many people do. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you.

During this time it is also entirely normal to fight with your parents, to have emotionally intense relationships with both friends and partners, to have to make decisions about drugs and alcohol and to begin to experience a greater sense of both freedom and responsibility than you've ever had before. But every now and then, when all of this gets too much, it's nice to just stay at home, spend time with the family, read a book, watch TV and remember what it was like when you were a little girl.

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