Welcome to the Teen Health Talk Blog!

Hello everyone! My name is Isabella Tejeda. I am currently a high schooler, and I am going into my junior year! This is my first post of the Teen Health Talk Blog and I am so excited to share my passions with you! I want to start with explaining why I am so interested in neuroscience and mental health. Well, to be completely honest, my interest started when I took a psychology class in high school. While psychology and neuroscience can differ in many ways, I noticed that I enjoyed learning about the brain and its functions, more specifically how important they are to us. At the time, that surprised me because I have a hard time finding topics in school that I enjoy learning. I also learned that mental health was not taken so seriously around me. Teen mental health, or mental health in general, is not openly talked about. As someone who has struggled with their mental health, I want other teens to know that there is help out there and I want to assist in providing some of that help. I know sometimes life can feel like a lot and everyone has moments of sadness. However, I believe that you should remain hopeful and optimistic about the future! I've continued to grow fond of neuroscience and mental health, for that reason, I wanted to start a blog combining the two. I'm sure that you're wondering what this blog will be about. If you do not know, I have a teen mental health podcast with my friend, Alexa G, called Teen Health Talk and I wanted to make this blog inspired by this podcast. Our Teen Health Talk Podcast focuses on mental health, and we have talked about stress in school, nicotine's affect on mental health, stereo-types around mental health, and so much more. If you are struggling with your mental health or want to learn more about the topic, please make sure to check out the Teen Health Talk Podcast! Back to what this blog is, I plan on using the episodes from that podcast to explain how neuroscience is involved. I will be writing about different neuroscience topics and make them easy for you to understand. Of course, each post will be educational, but it will be in a fun way! These posts are going to be composed of different fundaments of neuroscience, such as cognitive, molecular, social, etc. Teen brains are constantly developing and I want to help teens understand their brain to better their well-being. Additionally, my posts will include mental health tips and advice. There are many different topics to explore and I hope that you will find them all interesting. Most importantly, I want my posts to provide a place for you to relax and be heard. My second post is about anxiety so make sure to get a snack and tune in for that! Whether you are looking for a fun activity or want to learn more about neuroscience and mental health, I hope that you will support my new blog! Always remember, you are not alone!