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 [email protected].

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. 

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.