Teen Breathe

It’s all a blah…

The blahs – you’ve maybe been there. It’s that listless feeling of boredom, like nothing excites or satisfies. The French have a different word for it, ‘ennui’, which loosely translates as a weary dissatisfaction with life. You might also recognise the term from the recent film Inside Out 2, where the emotion is illustrated as …

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Breaking through

From finding your way around to getting into the swing of a hectic timetable, starting a new school takes time and energy. There’s a lot to get used to and you might feel a little lost for a couple of weeks, but at least you know that pretty much everyone’s in the same boat. Think …

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Photo opportunity

Taking photos is fun – whether they’re posed friends-and-family shots, landscapes or action scenes. Sometimes, though, it’s easy to become distracted by that inner voice, the one that tells you the lighting’s all wrong, the subject matter isn’t anything special and you’re wasting your time. If this sounds familiar, you might find it helpful to …

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Navigating feedback

How do you respond when a teacher, coach or parent credits you for doing something well? Receiving praise can be lovely, but it might also make you feel shy or embarrassed at being singled out. What about when someone says you need to improve? It’s natural to feel uncomfortable when you receive homework from a …

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For the love of lists

From grocery shopping to music-streaming charts, many aspects of everyday life require a list. For thousands of years, people have been carving them into stone, then scribbling them into notebooks and now tapping them into smartphones. But what is it about lists that makes them so effective and appealing? Patterns and organisation Lists bring a …

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A Fresh Look At Summer

Lazy days in the sun, having picnics, sitting outside with friends all evening – these summer pursuits sound very enjoyable and relaxing. For some, however, the longer days and warm weather bring irritability, discomfort and gloom. This is known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. What is SAD? Clinically speaking, SAD is a type of …

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How to cope with a panic attack

What do panic attacks feel like? Imagine you’re out with friends and they decide to go to a funfair. You can’t explain why, but you just don’t feel like going. A sense of unease increases as you approach the crowd. Once there, the noise and lights become overwhelming, you begin to sweat and feel sick. …

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Everyday inspiration for creativity

When you think of creativity, you might picture an artist at work on a big project. Perhaps you imagine someone spending hours painting a canvas, crafting a beautiful pot out of clay or composing a powerful piece of poetry.While these can all be worthwhile and enjoyable pursuits, there are many smaller-scale creative activities that easily …

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Loving kindness exercise

How do you do a loving kindness visualisation? Follow these 10 steps: You can read more articles in the latest issue of Teen Breathe magazine.