Neuroplasticity, a concept in neuroscience, refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. When it comes to learning from mistakes, every time we “mess up”, our brain goes through a process of rewiring.

In the adolescent years, the brain undergoes significant changes, particularly in the prefrontal cortex – the area responsible for decision-making, problem-solving, and social interactions – probably why we “mess up” so much. And, as we teenagers navigate this huge mess, our brains are highly responsive to new experiences, learning, and emotional development, to avoid the said “mess” in the adult years.

Traditionally, being a teenager is a sliver of overlap between what a child can’t do and what an adult can’t do. But the above very scientific reason opens a new door: what a teenager CAN do. And that, my friends, is “mess up”. It is a fundamental opportunity to shape and mould our lives in ways that set the stage for the future.

Here are some ways to get you started:

Embracing Independence
Craft your own superhero story – cape optional
One of the scariest yet most liberating gifts of our teenage years is the gradual inheritance of independence. It’s a time when making decisions for ourselves seem less embarrassing than relying on our parents to dictate our lives. These choices, however overwhelming, can also be so liberating. Remember, it is okay to make mistakes, provided you learn from them.
A little tip: When choosing your narrative, do not try to be someone else.

Building Relationships
Choosing the supporting characters
As you change, so does the world around you. It is usually in this season when challenges that make-or-break relationships show themselves. Friends are the pillars of support that will get you through these years, so keep them close and keep them safe. Surround yourself with people who understand and value you.
Another little tip: Friendships and relationships don’t have to be inversely proportional.

Putting Safety First
Superheroes wear suits, too!
Teenage years will see you exposed to many, many new things – from driving to drugs. The skill here is to differentiate between “slay” and “stop”. Do not ever do anything you are not fully comfortable with, and don’t ever hesitate to ask for help should you need it. Remember, some mistakes are not worth making.

Living our best life requires a willingness to take charge. So, at the end of the day, it really is up to you — it is up to you how you want to live your life!

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Inside Out 2 brilliantly expands on its predecessor, delving into Riley’s turbulent teenage years. Directed by Kelsey Mann, the film reintroduces familiar emotions alongside new ones, dealing with the complexities of growing up.

Riley, the central character, is now a teenager navigating the complexities of adolescence. As she faces puberty and transitions to high school, her emotions are thrown into turmoil. The arrival of new emotions challenges the established harmony among her existing emotions.

This sequel captures the essence of emotional complexity, making it relatable to both younger and older viewers. The animation is superb, and the voice acting remains exceptional.

Inside Out 2 is a beautifully-crafted, emotionally-rich film that continues to set a high standard for animated storytelling. I highly recommend watching the original Inside Out before diving into this sequel to fully appreciate the continuity and character development.

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The Archies is a Hindi teen musical comedy, featuring beloved characters from the famous American comic series, The Archies. Directed by Zoya Akhtar, and streaming on Netflix, it is set in the fictional Anglo-Indian community of Riverdale in 1964 India.

Archie (Agastya Nanda), Betty (Khushi Kapoor), Veronica (Suhana Khan), Reggie (Vedang Raina), Jughead (Mihir Ahuja), and the rest of the gang navigate youth, friendships, first loves, and the future of Riverdale, as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.

The soundtrack is composed by Ankur Tewari, The Islanders, Aditi “Dot” Saigal and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

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Shyness is the worst thing that can happen to any teenager. It’s the most terrible experience to be asked to sing a song in front of others and you are sweating in fear. Then there’s living up to the expectations of your parents. As a kid, I was carefree and relaxed all the time, but like I said, everything has changed now.
At school, when I look at the more popular and cooler girls than me joking and laughing with boys, I feel jealous. I know I can never be like them, so I try not to bother. Beauty is nothing without brains.

I had recently taken up the ‘hobby’ of standing in front of the mirror for hours and wondering about my own beauty. My parents found a way of putting a full stop to it. “You are standing in front of the mirror for hours, isn’t the mirror big enough to show you that you’re getting fatter day by day?”

The most horrible day of the year is the day when the exam results are declared. The same, “We don’t care even if you get a zero, we love you and the most important thing is to learn”, comes from the mouth of every parent. But if I do get a B grade in Science or any other subject, it will be the end of me and my happiness for the next few days!

If you are a teenager or nearing your thirteenth birthday… good luck, my friend!

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Is it good or bad that we have emotions?

Don’t we all endure many different emotions every day of our life? There’s rarely anything we do without being emotional. Studying for an exam, talking to friends, communicating with siblings, engaging with family; all make us feel something. We could be anxious or frustrated or happy or excited; or anything. Emotions play such a big role in how we think and behave. They push us to take some or the other action, and affect the decisions we make, actions we do, our relationships, and pretty much how we live our entire life. We crave for positive emotions and are afraid of feeling negative ones. Not having emotions isn’t really possible, and well, it’s not even normal.

We are chemically run electrical machines

We say that being emotional differentiates us from machines. And yet, we ourselves are machines run by chemicals that initiate electrical signals! We have sensory receptors on all cells inside our brain, almost like mini electrical pumps. These receptors are activated by a matching chemical which brings out a particular emotion. When the chemical touches the receptor, the cell’s electrical frequency changes, and we feel an emotion. We need outside triggers and inner chemicals both, to feel anything. Events in our life act like triggers, and they stimulate this field into action. That is why we are so deeply affected by things around us. But can we regulate these emotions? Or do they take over our behaviour completely? Have you ever found yourself in situations when you felt that you lost control over how you felt and just became completely emotional? And could not think straight?

Feeling emotions vs. Being emotional

Feeling an emotion is subjective (only the feeler senses it) and being emotional is expressive (when the feeler shows the world what he or she feels). So you might feel the emotion, but hide that you’re emotional; or you may feel nothing and yet display a range of emotions (which is actually theatrical).

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You know your priorities in life. Still you will choose to give more importance to the less important elements. Your brain? It works in a very strange manner. One moment it will make you think everything evil about the people you dislike, but then your conscience will fight for you and push you to believe that there is still some good left in the world. One moment you will sit and cry over lost relationships and broken friendships, and the next moment you’ll stand up, wipe your tears and somewhere in your heart believe that everything will change. Sometimes you act so maturely that no one can comprehend and sometimes you’re worse than a 5-year-old. You’ll take no time to switch from one thought to another. For instance, how can your parents be so ignorant about the changes that have happened since their time and sometime later you’ll run to seek their advice when you run into a cul-de-sac. You will be clueless about everything around you. It will all be a strange dish that you’ve prepared for yourself with a messed-up recipe. And to cope with all the ruckus that you create for yourself, music shall be your drug during teen years. Upset? You have a track for that. Happy? You celebrate it with an uplifting composition. It’ll be something that will act like your perfect buddy; one who adjusts itself according to your mood and needs.

You know what things can make you feel good about yourself but still you will choose to fight with the negative around you. A ‘career sword’ hangs over your head and still you’ve no idea what you want to do with your life. You don’t know what your passion is or maybe you don’t have the courage to stand for it.

The last time you talked to a friend you decided never to bring up the same topic again. But today again you wish to have a conversation on the same old topics and again. You want to set things straight even when you have all the right to cease your over-exhausting thoughts.

You feel you’re the master of your world and have the power to change absolutely everything even when you know that you have been pulled back a number of times. (This is what I admire about teens like me. No matter what, we still believe in giving everything yet another try, who knows what comes next!)

Your relationships will matter the most to you. That one friend who has the power to make you or break you, that friend will always be special no matter what. That one person whose hug lets you release all the tensions for that second, that person will matter to you. That one soul to whom your attachment could never be diminished even after they have left you forever. That one human who will understand you the most when you expect the least. These relationships for you will be the most treasured assets. You’ll long to meet these people, hug them and tell them that they ARE special.

One of the most special relationships would be the one you share with the novels you read. The books you choose to read, they change you. You’re close to them. You’re attached to all the characters. In fact, you don’t just read the story, you try and live it. You search for similar circumstances and people around you. And when you finish a book, it’s difficult for you to change your world and live the real life again for the other was so special for you.

You know you will be pulled back many times. You’ll suffer from so much disappointment that you’ll promise yourself not to be the same again; and then the next day you are the old you. People will not always reciprocate everything; you’ll cry over it, but you’ll never be able to stop feeling the same for them. You will make more lifetime rivals than lifetime friends. You’ll judge others by their actions and yourself by your intention and then end up telling almost everyone that they have changed.

You’ll leave no stone unturned in order to make your life complex; you will be bored if you don’t challenge everything that comes and hence ultimately end up fighting every day. And I personally feel this is what the most important part is. The teenage years teach you how to cope with everything — peer pressure, family issues, friendships, choices for your life and everything you need to know. This golden period is a blessing in disguise. You don’t just live some 6 years of your life; you grow in your life, in your thoughts, in your actions. You will learn to be your own friend, your own counsellor, your own companion and your own teacher. You will begin to love being with yourself. You will know that life inside your little apartment is much better than the big world outside. You will be so much wiser and better!

Cheers to these precious years; cheers to our teenage years!

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