Annie Fox for Teens... Hey, Terra!

Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:

Competition:
“My friend gets all the guys.”

Hey Terra,

My best friend is absolutely gorgeous and I love her to bits but she gets all the guys cause she has confidence and I have lost all mines because of recent boyfriends and she really isn't helping me to get it back. I know it's not her fault but I get mad and cry a lot and she goes for all the guys I like and usually gets them and I just feel like an idiot for trying. She tells me I'm stunning and that every guy wants me, but I'm always second choice.

please help

second choice

Dear second choice,

First you say that your friend "really isn't helping me to get (my confidence) back." and then you say "She tells me I'm stunning and that every guy wants me..." So which is it? Is she "not helping" or is she telling you "I'm stunning."

You say that you have "lost" you confidence... That indicates you used to have it. Were you a different person when you were more confident? Where did that person vanish to? Do you really believe that your confidence has anything to do with your friend's beauty? You're absolutely right when you say that it's "not her fault" that she's gorgeous or that guys find her attractive. But there's something amiss in your thinking if you believe for a minute that your self-confidence comes from anything that anyone says to you. Self-confidence comes from inside you. (At least the lasting kind does.)

Here's my suggestion, right now, at the computer, make a list of all of the parts of your personality that you are proud of. For example, "I am a good listener." Or "I like the way I can make people laugh." Whatever is true for you... Put it on the list of things that you like and admire about yourself.

When you're done... Write back and we'll talk some more.

In friendship,

Terra


Need some advice? Write to Terra. She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.


What's New?
''The Girls Q&A Book on Friendship: 50 Ways to Fix a Friendship Without the DRAMA'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed., illustrated by Erica De Chavez Books & Apps for Teens
''Middle School Confidential 3: What's Up With My Family?'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' iOS app ''The Teen Survival Guide to Dating & Relating: Real-World Advice on Guys, Girls, Growing Up, and Getting Along'' by Annie Fox M.Ed.
''Middle School Confidential, Book 3: What's Up with My Family?'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 2: Real Friends vs. The Other Kind'' by Annie Fox M.Ed., Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Too Stressed to Think? A Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You CRAZY'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed. and Ruth Kirschner