3 chapters…
01.
I was reading someone’s Substack this week - apologies, I’ve forgotten whose - but they were reflecting on their teenage years and this was the conclusion they came to: THERE IS NO FREAKING WAY I WOULD WANT TO BE A TEENAGER AGAIN. NO FREAKING WAY AT ALL. I’m paraphrasing but you get the idea. They didn’t love their teens. I totally understand. I didn’t love my teens either. Of course, there were some highlights, much fun and lots of lessons learned. But overall, they were quite tortured years, really. Because, well, that’s the teenage brain.
02.
It made me realise, though, that it might be helpful to distinguish here between reliving our teenage years and reconnecting with our inner teen. They aren’t the same thing. If we get teleported back into our teenage bodies and back to that time, I’m sure we’d be able to experience those years with more wisdom, maturity and perspective. Maybe. But I’m not suggesting that we regress to teenage land or stay stuck in the past. In fact, one of my therapist friends mentioned that they see too many people who haven’t progressed past their teen years. They are still children in adult bodies. We don’t want that! Thankfully, I’m talking about something all together different.
03.
Reconnecting with our inner teens is, firstly, about acknowledging that we have an inner teen. We all do. No way around it. Our inner teen can either be running amok in our inner world, being reactionary and having teen tantrums or they can be doing what they do best - getting excited about things they are passionate about and energising us in the best possible way. I prefer the latter. The way to harness this energy and avoid the reactivity is to acknowledge, look out for and look after our inner teen. There’s no need to regress or relive. Just reconnect. It can be as simple as asking, “Hey, Inner Teen, how are you today? Anything you want me to know?” And then noticing what comes up. My Inner Teen has just said that she had fun this afternoon creating swag to go with my new book. Yay! I had fun too. And even though, it’s the end of a long day and I feel tired, she’s given me a burst of energy that feels enlivening. Long live our inner teens.
3 endnotes…
One more thing about teens…When I was teaching in the parenting space and giving talks on how to parent your teens, a key messages was this: One of the best ways to connect with your teen is to remember what it was like for you when you were a teen. Yes, that. So connecting with our own inner teens can help us to connect to our real life teens too.
Sorry, I’ve got to say it, Taylor Swift has a new album out. You may have heard. There are many thoughts weaving their way around the inter webs. But here are three main reasons why I love it. 1. The poetry. Her lyricism is masterful. 2. Her songs may appear simple on first listen but they burrow their way in - the lyrics, the melodies, but most importantly, the sentiments cut through. 3. This album doesn’t seem to be about hits. It’s about art. An artist expressing herself as she sees fit. And I have nothing but admiration for that.
I’ve been creating stickers, postcards, bookmarks and printable packs to go along with the pre-launch for my book. Oooh, it’s been fun. I’ve got some more goodies planned too. A collab with my inner teen, of course. She says, “You’re welcome, Jodie.” And I’m grateful.
Until next time, with love to you and yours,
Jodie. xxx
Thanks for the inspiration Jodie, I’m reading your book in the bookclub and my inner teen did not want me to stop reading last night and go to bed!! She loves it 💕