Junior Behaviorist

A few months ago, one of our longtime readers and a fellow AdvoCare enthusiast, Erica Monroy, reached out to me. She told me her twelve-year-old daughter, Alaysia, had been enjoying reading our posts and was interested in writing one, if we’d like. I was so surprised and overjoyed to find out that someone so young could relate to our content. It made me start to wonder if other young girls were out there reading our posts, too.

After her first post, “Alaysia’s 5 Back-to-School Tips: Turning Anxiety into Hope,” got over 500 views on the day it went up, I knew we were on to something. Today, I’m pleased to announce that Alaysia Monroy is our very first Junior Behaviorist!

Read on to find out how she got into writing, why she’s passionate about helping her peers deal with anxiety, and why she wholeheartedly believes in girls supporting each other.

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Through my work at The Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas, I’ve learned that youth suicides are a very real, very tragic issue. It is the third cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24, and about 5000 young people complete suicide in the US each year. You can learn more facts about youth suicide on the SCC’s website here. But today, I’d like to focus on the hope and the strength that we can gain from each other, so our teen contributor, Alaysia Monroy, has some words of hope for her fellow teens.

Dear Friend,

This is a world with great wonder,

Only not everyone can see that.

It’s times like this when you wonder,

Where is the world’s wonder?

Friend, I know you may be facing challenges. We all do. But I’d like to tell you: You are worth it! Just live. Don’t worry. I understand that things can be hard sometimes, but in the end, you won’t regret it. There’s a dark world out there, but how are we supposed to shine without darkness?

When you’re sad and struggling for a purpose, just remember you aren’t alone. There are other people hurting. Trust me. Take a breath. This is just a bad day and not an all-out bad life.

MB Interview with Our Junior Behaviorist Alaysia Monroy

Alaysia’s Open Letter to a Friend Who’s Struggling