This Teenage Life

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.

In this episode, Stella shares her experiences processing the loss of her Dad. She explores societal expectations of closure and how they diverge from her own understandings of loss and ambiguity. 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

Life can feel especially lonely if you think humans are the only creatures on this planet. Getting close to animals and the natural world can help us connect with ourselves and each other. It can help us feel less alone in the world. On Earth Day 2022, we spoke with author and naturalist Sy Montgomery about forming deep relationships with animals and how getting to know animals can change us.

How can teachers connect with teens not just as students, but as whole humans and unique individuals? How does this help them learn? In this episode, we talk about what teachers can do to build trust and authentic relationships with students. 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.

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.

In school, in friendships, amongst family members — it can be challenging to ask questions due to invisible social rules, fear of judgement, or a fear of being direct and making someone else uncomfortable.   In this episode of This Teenage Life we talk about asking questions in different contexts, fears that can bubble up around them, and how we push through and are learning to communicate more effectively.  

In the face of existential anxieties, it's hard to know what to do. They feel so big and overwhelming that it can be hard to come back to the physical world and ground in the present when we're pondering the meaning of life. In this episode, we're talking about the things we do to feel well-regulated in the face of existential questions — the specific actions we take to feel connected to meaning and joy. Inspired by Melissa Bernstein from Lifelines, we're talking about our "meaning and play sparks."

The experience of going through puberty is always unique and difficult, but in pandemic times, can feel even more isolating. In this week's episode of This Teenage Life, we're talking about our experiences with puberty, body image, and outsider's perspectives.

Who makes This Teenage Life? How did they reach out and get involved? How does our work affect them? In this episode of This Teenage Life, we go behind the scenes to talk about how we make the show and how it impacts us.

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/

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.