Any teenager who has read the Adrian Mole books will sympathise with his turbulent adolescence.
Teenagers have to worry about having the right clothes, cool friends and good grades. Yet do these things really matter?
No, says Carolyn Neunuebel, a counsellor at Hong Kong Psychological Services. 'What makes you important are not grades, looks or friends, but who you are. Everyone is unique, so it's important to be different from your friends. Sometimes you may not feel strong enough to be different and have your own opinions, but it's important not to let other people's opinions affect you too much.'
The first step to being your own person is to understand what makes you attractive to other people. '[Looks and material objects] do not make you an attractive person. Instead, it's about what kind of energy you send out,' explains Ms Neunuebel.
'If you like yourself, you send out positive energy. But if you think bad things about yourself, people will pick up on the negative energy and think the same about you.'
To avoid being a conformist, you should learn to love yourself.