GeneralHealth

My Body/My Health

The high school years are busy for young women as you begin to balance taking care of yourself physically, with spending time with friends, family, school and perhaps a job and activities.

Being outside your home with a full schedule may lead to questions like, "How do I eat healthy …on the run?"

Even though you had health education classes in the past, this age brings up different questions. During the high school years, you have a perspective of your body not only on the outside, but from a larger view that includes inside yourself as well. Reproductive development is more complete, and a common question is, "What actually is a pelvic exam?" and "When should I have my first Pap Smear?"

Intimate relationships develop during the high school years. Intimacy takes many forms. Physical and sexual intimacy are only two of those. Appropriate intimacy can take the form of developing healthy relationships with a group of friends, and even sharing quiet times that feel safe with a pet. Many forms of intimacy are healthy and enhance your state of wellness. These including developing skills to enjoy time by yourself as you read a favorite book, take a walk on the beach or foster spiritual growth in a way important to you. There are various ways to develop intimacy.

If you are developing an intimate relationship that is becoming physical or sexual in nature, there are some very important things that you need to know.

You are older now, and increasingly free to make choices that are yours alone to make, but it is important to know that there are positive and negative consequences to decisions. And clearly, consequences of your choices also effect people around you. We all make mistakes. We all make choices that later we say, "Next time, I'll sure do that one differently." We all experience consequences of our mistakes.

It's a fact that these choices and consequences can impact our health... sometimes seriously.

How can we put ourselves in the best position to make healthy decisions around physical and sexual intimacy? One way to make healthy decisions is to take your time, gather reliable information and discuss pros and cons with trustworthy friends and adults. Decisions that are well thought out, that look at what's in your best interest, are better for your health. Well thought out decisions will help you meet your goals, needs, desires and dreams. Empowering yourself with reliable health information, and keeping connected with others to listen to various points of views, will help you make choices that are best for you.