For an attempted, but failed, psychology project one of my friends and I put together and posted a survey onto Facebook, asking about the mental health of 14 - 19 year old's. We got over 50 responses in the first two days and the results were, sadly, not surprising. Our survey was mainly asking questions about school as our hypothesis was that school had a negative effect on mental heath - this was confirmed with the results of the survey.*

86% of the people who responded to the survey said that the pressure brought on by parents, teacher and themselves, was negatively effecting their mental health, making them stressed, anxious and even in some cases, depressed. In turn, it was effecting their ability to work at school, with 80% of the teenagers who answered saying that they had experienced symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack at school or because of their studies. We then asked if the stress effected any other aspects of their lives, here are some of the responses:

Female, 17: I barely sleep or eat any more which doesn't help with concentration in school, and makes me feel so tired constantly.

Female, 16: I often forget to eat, and then I binge. In terms of sleeping I rarely get more than 6 hours sleep a night.

Female, 18: I rarely sleep well and have developed depression and anxiety whilst at school.

These aren't even the saddest responses, many went into details about home lives and work hours and their lacking ability in balancing all aspects of being a healthy teenager. All of them seemed to be struggling, whether it was with a small mental health issue or something much bigger, it was effecting everyone. However, over 60% said that if and when they needed emotional/mental support, they feel they would not be able to talk to anyone at school.

 

Reading through the results and personal comments was heart-breaking, knowing that the people answering these questions were walking past me each day in the hall but I had no way of reaching out to them. The answers were anonymous, but sometimes I wished they weren't.

Mental health is a topic discussed regularly today, in most aspects of the media and in general conversations. But, this conversation needs to be made bigger. Teenagers need to feel like they have support, especially at school, where they should be being protected and cared for - not just pushed for the best results.

Of course grades are necessary, but good and stable mental health is much more important. It's just taking people not experiencing it along time to figure it out. 

*Only 14% of the responses were from males, this is also a huge issue that should be being addressed, but seems to be being missed: men's mental health. A huge and ever growing issue in the UK and all over the world. However, my survey did get the majority of it's responses from women so I will not be able to comment on how this issue presented itself in my results. 

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are American writers, actors and comedians, who star in the TV show Broad City, which they have also written and produced.

Before Broad City, Abbi and Ilana created an internet show of the same name which they independently produced from 2009 to 2011. This was nominated for an ECNY Award for Best Wed Series and was received well by audiences and critics alike. It was picked up by Amy Poehler, who is now a producer of the show and has also guess starred.

I love these girls, They don't take themselves to seriously, their writing is funny and their show is weird but so so great.

Well, sun for a few days and cold again for the next isn't exactly summer, but, this does means you need a good playlist to get you 'in the summer mood'. Something to listen to when you're driving in the heat or laying outside soaking in the sun. So, I've made a playlist of summer of some of my all time favourite summer songs.

Including songs by: Grimes, SWMRS, The Front Bottoms, Wolf Alice and many more.

https://play.spotify.com/user/eviebubbles/playlist/1l8ikdZIhus9vSm4WDdX9F

photo by Ada Hamza

After being a fan of musical comedy for a while it was nice to stumble across some women doing the thing I love and doing it really well. 

Riki and Kate have successful acting careers separately, Kate appearing in shows like Scrubs and The Big Bang Theory and Riki hosting a popular comedy podcast, together they are at their best, even having their own TV show - Garfunkel and Oats. 

If your a fan of musical comedy, Bo Burnham, Tim Minchin etc., you should definitely give these girls a try.

My favourite songs of theirs currently are: 29/31, Handjob, Bland Job, I Don't Understand Job and Gay Boyfriend.

(also they are both super cute)

Being a teen right now, I can say some of the best movies to watch with friends or on a (Ferris Buellers) day off are films from the years of 1980 - 89. However, this opinion isn't common - a lot of people hate films from the 80's, Quentin Tarantino even said it was the worst decade for film. But, for once, I don't agree with him. I've spent a lot of my teenage years loving 80's films and I'm not stopping any time soon. 

Before I wrote this, I compiled a short list of my favourite 80's movies, it included obvious ones like The Breakfast Club or Heathers, but I felt like I was missing some, so I Googled it. During my Googling I realised just how many of my favourite films were made in the 80's and how many of my favourite actors and directors helped to create them. From Dirty Dancing to A Nightmare on Elm Street, the films that are most important to me are from this decade and most of them are teen movies.

Teen Wolf (1985)

Obviously, I am in this demographic, but I feel that these films would appeal to anyone. The 80's was filled with timeless classics, which will forever make it my favourite decade for teen films.

Some of the best teen heartthrobs also came from the 80's. Many of my tween crushes were boys from John Hughes' films and I'm not ashamed to say that most of them are still pretty attractive today. John Bender, played by Judd Nelson, is a character all girls will fall for. I mean, I preferred Brian, but Anthony Michael Hall was cute back then, okay? The Outsiders boys are all pretty perfect; Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon and C. Thomas Howell each with a ridiculously cute name. I mean - Sodapop?

The Outsiders. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola (1983)

Spader, Dillon, Lowe, Michael Hall, McCarthy, Nelson

John Hughes is a man that can't be ignored when talking about this decade. He is the king of the teen movie. Hughes created the most well known set of teen movies to this day. From The Breakfast Club to Pretty in Pink and Weird Science, these films are classics, still holding up today. And not just because everyone loves a good dance number. The films are funny, with interesting and hilarious characters - whilst still remaining truthful and unbelievable relatable.

The Breakfast Club (1985)

And obviously, you can't talk about John Hughes without mentioning the Brat Pack. A group of young actors in the 80's who frequently appeared together in coming-of-age films, a lot of the time directed by Hughes himself. Even though they may not have been friends in real life, they were idolised my many teens and the inspiration for every friendship group.

St Elmo's Fire (1985) The Brat Pack

The 80's is filled with some of the best films ever made - E.T, Ghostbusters, Back To The Future, The Princess Bride and The Shining.

But, I have the most personal connection to the teen movies - which shaped and inspired my teenage years.

Thank you, John Hughes.

1. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

This film deserves a whole post of 

it's own, it covers racism, sexism, 

culture, stereotypes and love, all while

being based around a female friendship 

began by a love of football. 

Bend It Like Beckham stars Parminder

Nagra playing 18 year old Jess, an 

aspiring footballer being torn between

her passion and her strict parents. 

It was also directed, written and 

produced by women. The director 

and writer being Gurinder Chadha who

directed the film of my tweens: Angus, 

Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

2. Erin Brockovich (2000)

Based on a true story this film is stars

Emma Roberts as Erin Brockovich a 

single and  unemployed mother who 

becomes a legal assistant and almost 

single-handedly brings down a California

Power company accused of polluting a

city's water supply.

Being the daughter of a single mother

I love any films where a woman over-

comes the stereotypes that come with 

raising a child alone. 

http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/02/23/21769649/is-secretary-just-as-bad-as-fifty-shades-erika-moen-on-the-other-mr-grey