This Teenage Life – Details, episodes & analysis

As a teenager, it can feel like you are constantly moving on from things - hobbies, friends, schools, ways of thinking, and more. This can be exciting, but also sad or confusing. In this episode, the teens discuss things they've had to move on from and the emotional dimensions of the process. 

For folks applying to college in the United States, applications are almost due! This time can feel incredibly stressful and overwhelming, but having conversations with peers going through the same thing can help. In today's episode, the teens discuss various aspects of college applications - financial aid, social comparison, finding support, and advice that helped them. 

In this episode, the teens describe moments when they feel purposeful and their understandings of the idea of purpose. We speak with Dr. Tony Burrow, a professor who studies purpose and researches the health benefits of purpose. Through his research, Dr. Burrow helps us reframe and examine the many benefits of cultivating senses of purpose. You can learn more about Dr. Burrows work here.

Thank you to the Purpose Commons, a project of Hopelab, for sponsoring this episode. The Purpose Commons is a dynamic learning network where collaborators across the youth development ecosystem work together on projects that put the science of purpose to work for young people.

Small comments can really hurt, especially when they’re rooted in racism, misogyny, or other identity-based biases. In this episode, two teens discuss microaggressions, focusing, in particular, on actions and comments they’ve experienced about their hair.

Crushes can be fun, horrible, nerve-wracking, day-dreamy... they combine all the feelings and they're different for everyone. In this episode, we talk about how crushes make us feel, how we feel about them, and some cultural differences when it comes to talking about crushes.

In addition to being a medical issue, the pandemic has also led to a mental health crisis. In this episode, one member of This Teenage Life shares her personal story of isolation and depression during quarantine.

No one at This Teenage Life is a mental health professional, but here are some resources in case you or someone you know is experiencing depression:

Materials from the Child Mind Institute:

Overview of Depression: https://childmind.org/guide/depression-in-kids-quick-guide/

Depression in Teenagers: https://childmind.org/article/what-are-the-symptoms-of-depression-in-teenagers/

Depression Treatment: https://childmind.org/article/treatment-for-depression/

In case you or someone you know is having thoughts of self-harm:

Help-Line in India:
India http://www.aasra.info/helpline.html

Help-Line in the United States:
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/