ASU and “This Teenage Life” give teens tools to manage stress and loneliness

Health literacy — defined as how people find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions — is a crucial skill for people of all ages. Despite numerous podcasts, websites and programs on mental health, teenagers often struggle to find trusted sources. As part of ASU’s commitment to combat loneliness and cultivate resilience, we’re proud to launch three episodes of the podcast, “This Teenage Life”, which supports the journeys and growth of today’s teenagers. “This Teenage Life” amplifies youth voices to help other young people worldwide feel less alone through emotionally-centered storytelling.

Teaching adolescents how to recognize symptoms, access relevant resources and develop resilience strategies are often overlooked in most youth-targeted information.These emotional learning skills are best learned by hearing about other people’s processes and journeys, which is why these episodes are made by young people for young people, to improve youth emotional well-being.

A significant part of mental health literacy is realizing that you are not alone; that whatever you’re going through, someone else has experienced it and that there are resources available to support you. As we journey through these episodes, our goal is to equip listeners with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate life’s stressors with confidence and resilience. 

Episode 1: Overthinking and Self Talk

This episode delves into the complexities of battling an inner voice fixated on perfection and self-criticism. The discussion explores strategies such as therapy to confront and manage over thinking tendencies, especially in social interactions where self-doubt can escalate. Listeners gain insights into how self-deprecating humor might mask deeper insecurities and learn practical techniques like embracing strengths and accepting compliments graciously. The episode highlights methods to identify and separate critical thoughts from reality, such as journaling to gain perspective. The conversation aims to provide listeners with tools to quiet their inner critics and foster healthier self-talk for improved self-esteem and mental well-being.

Episode 2: Stress Management

Listeners learn practical strategies to combat stress. The discussion emphasizes building awareness to calm the brain. Techniques like mindful breathing—inhaling deeply through the nose, holding, and exhaling in a 4-4-4 rhythm—are shared to promote immediate relaxation. The episode also explores the balance between stress as a performance enhancer and the dangers of chronic stress, advocating for replacing self-judgment with self-compassion. Listeners are encouraged to shift focus to sensory experiences as a grounding tool, fostering resilience and a healthier relationship with stress in daily life. This episode features ASU professor Jamie Valderrama.

Episode 3: Loneliness

Listeners gain insights into how loneliness can diminish spontaneity and affect interpersonal boundaries.The episode also looks at the growing loneliness problem among young people, exploring how societal changes and social media can make feelings of isolation worse. It acknowledges that admitting loneliness can be embarrassing, but by discussing the complexities of loneliness today, it offers steps to build more meaningful connections.

Building resilience through health literacy

People with better health literacy generally experience higher levels of educational attainment, economic mobility, disease prevention, health outcomes, and personal happiness. However, health literacy is challenging within a confusing system of available health information, healthcare access, affordability and equity. ASU is dedicated to validating, assessing, and distributing evidence-based well-being education, creating and distributing specific health literacy content to empower Arizonans to improve health outcomes. This project, as part of ASU’s wider health literacy portfolio, aims to empower learners with the knowledge and evidence-based practices to make informed decisions about their well being.

Natasha Burrell is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a Health Literacy Fellow whose mission is to make health information more accessible, culturally relevant and easier to understand.