"Why can't I get this?! I feel so dumb! Am I behind? Why is everyone else understanding this when I'm not?"

These are common questions all of us at This Teenage Life have felt at some point, especially after taking certain tests. In this episode, we talk about situations—mostly academic—where we experience self-doubt, compare ourselves to others, or spiral about grades. We discuss how these moments feel and how we reframe these moments and feelings.

In this episode of This Teenage Life, the teens open up about their experiences with negative thoughts, anxiety, and stress spirals. Through conversations about their inner struggles, they share coping strategies and practices that help them move out of negative headspaces.

Thoughts are just thoughts. They're not "real." But the meaning we make of them and power we give them can cause them to feel much bigger and more powerful than "just thoughts."  In this episode, we talk about our own experiences of overthinking and intrusive thoughts, and how we can change our interpretations of them to give them less power.

Some resources on overthinking & intrusive thoughts:

https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-kids-worried-about-bad-thoughts/

https://childmind.org/guide/anxiety-in-children-quick-guide/

This week, we talk to licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Naomi Dambreville, about how to think about and understand overthinking and intrusive thoughts. 

For many of us here at This Teenage Life, Taylor Swift's music puts words to our emotions and helps us feel less alone in the universe. Right before her next big album release, we publish this tribute to how Taylor Swift's songs have changed us.

In this episode, we reflect on the idea of self care and the many ways we take care of ourselves without expensive products and "glow ups." We compare fancy routines and performances of self care on the internet with everyday  actions we take to feel well-regulated and whole. 

We hope this episode brings you some joy and self-kindness on this World Mental Health Day:) Please spread the love and share the show!

Like many transitions, starting a new school year can be stressful. In this episode, we talk about our experiences and the coping strategies we use to feel more comfortable as we go back to school.

We have exciting episodes and a newsletter coming out this season. Feel free to make requests for topics or just reach out at team@thisteenagelife.org.

This episode is sponsored by the XQ Institute. Check out the student journalism challenge they're sponsoring at studentjournalismchallenge.org

Several months ago we received an email from a listener requesting an episode on sibling dynamics. Here, we discuss just that — our experiences of bickering with our siblings, sharing and not sharing, taking care of them, feeling responsible, and more. From all over the world we have older siblings, younger siblings, middle siblings, twins, and only children, each weighing in on what its like to have (and not have) siblings.

In this episode, some of the teens share about their experiences with therapy and we interview a professional psychologist, Dr. Malika Bhowmik, to explore questions related to therapy, mental health care, and stigmas associated with mental health.

We at This Teenage Life are not mental health professionals (we're mostly teens) but below is one resources we think is particularly helpful.

https://childmind.org/healthyminds/students/

Learning to live with pimples isn't easy, especially when society, friends, and family members give us advice how to have clear skin. The reality is, breakouts are natural and mostly out of our control. In this episode of This Teenage Life, we're talking about how we relate to our acne.

Big shout out to our new dialogue group who contributed to this episode!

The world is feeling pretty heavy right now so on this episode we bring you some levity: our never-before-published, first two episodes: the first is on superstitions and the other is on what we miss about childhood. 

Clear skin, "feminine features," "snatched bodies," — we're often taught to associate our self worth with how we line up with societal expectations about beauty.

In this throwback episode, we speak openly and honestly about our body insecurities, where they come from, and how we are working on them.

This episode is about how a trans young man and his mom navigated his coming out and transition. Together, they demonstrate the power of love and communication between a parent and a child. We are grateful to be releasing this episode during LGBTQIA+ pride month.

Our outsides and our insides aren't always aligned. Sometimes we look happy and feel sad. Sometimes we look fine but are struggling with our health. In this episode, we hear from two young people with similar hidden disabilities and how they've managed and remained resilient in the face of their health struggles.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been and continues to be a tragedy with millions of lives lost. It also bas had a big social and emotional impact on us, especially for teens transitioning from middle school to high school or high school to college. As many of us finish up the first full school year back in person, we reflect on how our experiences of the pandemic have affected how we think, feel, and act.

Many of us are very different at home vs. school or when we're with people or by ourselves. In this shorter episode, we hear many perspectives on the differences between our home selves and our school selves.

Friendships during middle and high school are tough. As we change, often our friendships do too. It's easy to think that we are the only ones who feel alone, when the truth is, everyone is trying to figure out who they are and who they connect with. In this episode, we talk about friendship fluctuations — losing friends, making new friends, and how to feel comfortable with ourselves.

This episode topic was requested by a listener via email. If you have an episode idea, email us at team@thisteenagelife.org and if you could share the show with friends or via social media and whatsapp status we'd appreciate it! 

In classes at school, students are often expected to learn the same thing at the same time. An emphasis on information transmission and uniformity can lead to disengagement. What would it look like if school learning felt more engaging, meaningful, relevant, and authentic? What and how would teens want to learn? In this episode, we're hearing from young people about how and what they wish they learned in school.

This episode is sponsored by the XQ institute. Check them out  at XQ Super School and follow XQ America on TikTok and on Instagram to share your experience as a student and change what learning looks like.

Trigger warning— this episode references suicide. If you or anyone you know is struggling with this, here are some resources: 

US National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255

Resources in India: http://www.aasra.info/helpline.html

This episode is sponsored by the XQ institute, the nation's leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in college, career, and life. Check them out at xqsuperschool.org

When we're bored, feeling lonely, or just engaging in our imaginations, many of us give life to fabricated scenarios, invisible friends, and fictional crushes. In this episode, we're talking about the invisible people in our invisible worlds who might not be real to outsiders but who can be very helpful to us.

As kids, it's often hard to see that parents are not just parents. They're human beings who have their own needs, emotions, styles, fragilities, crushes, etc. In this re-release of one of our favorite episodes, we talk about moments when we began to discover that parents are, in fact, people too.

Is the idea of productivity helpful? Harmful? How does it affect our mental health and well-being? In this episode, we talk about the idea of productivity and how it affects our inner monologues.

Black History Month might be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean we should stop thinking about Black history. In this announcement, we reflect on the end of this month and how we carry the Black History Month with us every month.

Our hearts are broken for the people of Ukraine. Some of us wrote poems to express our grief and let the people of Ukraine know that we stand with them.

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/

As we evolve as people, so does our relationship to music. In this episode, the teens discuss their own musical journeys - how their taste has changed, live music they've experienced, favorite songs, and how music helps build connection. 

To check out what our community is listening to these days, take a listen to our playlist on Spotify: This Teenage Life: Music We Love

At This Teenage Life, we all experience anxiety in different ways — feelings in our chest, sweat on our palms, repetitive thoughts. On this episode, we talk about our experiences of anxiety and the various strategies and coping mechanisms we've developed to manage it.

They might make us look "better," but they don't always make us feel better about who we are and what we look like. In this episode of This Teenage Life, we're hearing people's perspectives and experiences with photo filters — like the ones we use (or choose not to use) on Instagram, Snapchat and Tik Tok.

Thanks to Raya, Sophia, Jayden, and Tori for inspiring this episode.

A lot of folks in This Teenage Life are going through post-high school changes right now, and with that, comes a lot of feelings of inadequacy. These feelings seem to always be present regardless of what we're doing, and in today's episode, we explore them and start to figure out how to reframe and move past them.

Join us as we delve into the ways books transport and transform us.

This episode is extra special not only because of the topic, but because you'll hear from our new This Teenage Life chapter — listeners from an ocean away who reached out to come together and share their stories.

Here in the U.S., we're transitioning from summer to fall, from vacation to back-to-school. This Teenage Life is starting it's fourth season and the original crew members are starting new chapters in their lives now that high school is finished and new jobs and colleges await. At the same time, folks from younger groups are going through a big transition themselves: in-person high school for the first time.

In this episode of This Teenage Life, we're talking through our anxieties and hopes for our next chapter as we launch our fourth season.

Our hearts break for Kabul today as the Taliban take over the city. We stand with our friends there. Shame on world leaders for this tragedy.

This episode is a narrative piece by Cloe Moreno, the artist for This Teenage Life, and centers around her relationship to body image. Through her own reflections and a conversation with her mom, she tells her story about grappling with an eating disorder— how it started for her and how she is overcoming it.

Warning: This episode might be triggering for some. If that's the case, just switch to another great episode of This Teenage Life:)

Over the years, we've received a lot of emails from listeners about friendship — how to make friends, keep them, and how to processing friend breakups. In this episode of This Teenage Life, we're talking about friendship and some of the messiness that comes with being a human trying to connect with others.

With all their hip dips, pimples, stretch marks, and fat, bodies are cool and beautiful because of everything they do for us. How can we learn to love them despite societal critiques and unrealistic standards? 

In this episode, we talk about specific insecurities, the comments and comparisons that have helped foster them, and the practices we've developed to love our bodies just the way they are.

This episode contains some audio clips from a previous episode about body insecurities — we'll actually be adding some new clips soon as well but wanted to get something out this week:)

In this episode, inspired and hosted by a listener-turned-contributer named Lydia, we process feelings around parents' divorces. Check out Lydia's independent work at wildflowerszine.com.

In this throwback episode, we talk about our experiences of academic pressure and academic validation and how it makes us feel.

For better or for worse, how feminine or unfeminine we are can define how we're treated in the world — and how we think about ourselves. In this episode, Olivia discusses her relationship with femininity. 

President Biden signed into law that Juneteenth is now recognized as a national holiday. This Teenage Life contributors shared their feelings about Juneteenth and its importance to them, especially in the context of Black history being recognized as US history. 

Music credit: Molly Zucchet normally makes all our music but this episode sampled from Lobo Loco on Creative Commons.