Thereâs no use denying it, being a teen is tough.
The chances are youâre probs swamped in coursework, right now. Youâre also trying to fit in all your extra clubs and societies, as well as dealing with the politics of friendship groups.
One thing that is good to know, though, is that our fave teen celebs go through exactly the same thing.
Maximum Pop! recently spoke to former âDance Momsâ contestant and the star of Siaâs music videos, Maddie Ziegler, and she gave us some SUPER helpful advice on how to navigate life as a teen.
Seriously, itâs great! If you donât believe us, just ask Sia. It was the superstar singer-songwriter who gave a few of these nuggets to Maddie.
Ignore peer pressure
The first piece of advice is pretty simple and thatâs to ignore peer pressure. Whether you feel that you should be part of certain friendship groups or NEED to follow particular trends at school â itâs important to know that you donât have to if you donât want to.
âI think thereâs a lot of hate in this world, right now, and a lot of teens are trying to fit in and be like everyone else, but itâs cool to do something different. Just be yourself and donât try to impress other people or worry about what theyâre telling you,â says Maddie.
Try to be yourself and not worry about what others think.
Donât be afraid to try new things
Linking onto this, Maddieâs also a firm believer in stepping out your comfort zone. Thatâs part of the reason she published her brand new memoir, âThe Maddie Diariesâ.
âA big part of [my] book [âThe Maddie Diariesâ] is the question of why not? So, why not try something new? Why not just go for something and step out of your comfort zone? Itâs about not worrying what other people think,â says Maddie.
So, if âbeing yourselfâ involves taking up a new hobby or club that your friends might consider weird, then DO IT! Try something new. Who knows where it might take you?
Tell someone if youâre feeling pushed or pressured
Another great piece of advice that Maddie has is to tell someone if youâre feeling pushed or pressured. When we chatted to the dancer about her work with Sia, she mentioned how itâs the superstar who ensures that Maddie is never forced to do anything she doesnât want to.
â[Sia] always wants to makes sure that Iâm never being pushed or anything like that and tells me that Iâm not loving what Iâm doing then I shouldnât do it,â says Maddie.
Though we donât have Sia on speed dial, itâs important to note that there are plenty of people at school who can help you if you do find yourself in a situation youâre uncomfortable with. So tell someone!
If youâre struggling in a particular class or are being pushed or bullied by a certain group of people, teachers are there to help. You shouldnât be forced to worry about things like that on top of all the OTHER teen drama we have to think about.
Take a break and relax outside of school
Finally, the last piece of advice Maddie gave us that itâs important to take a break. Obvs, weâre not recommending you cut class here, but relax at the weekend and donât spent all day studying.
âIâve learnt to say no and Iâve learnt that itâs okay to not take every job that comes my way because sometimes it might not be right for me. Iâve realised that if I just wanna take a day off and be a kid, itâs important to do that,â says Maddie.
So there we have it, those are Maddie (and Siaâs) words of wisdom when it comes to navigating school life. Let us know your tips in the comments below.