How Connection Addresses Stress, Anxiety and Pressure
In a 2018 survey by the American Psychological Association, teens reported higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety and worse overall mental health than any other age group. The sources of that stress are complex, including everything from academic pressures and negative thoughts and feelings about themselves to fears about mass shootings, climate change and […]
Meet the Team: Martha, Youth Advisor
You can find Martha, one of Lucero’s dynamic Youth Advisors, creating content for Lucero over on Instagram. She also reviews content created by our team of licensed therapists to make sure everything in the Lucero app is teen-tested and approved. Martha is compassionate, creative and authentic. We’re so lucky to have her on our team! […]
Helping Your Teen Nurture Friendships
Did you know that friendship is one of the most important measures of adolescent development and mental health? Several recent studies confirm that close, supportive teen friendships correlate with everything from increased empathy and self-esteem to lower rates of depression and anxiety. Friendships even provide protection against the adverse effects of bullying and the stress […]
Why Confidence is so Important for Teens
Here’s a cool, little-known fact about the word confidence: it comes from the Latin fidere, which means “to trust.” If you’ve used the Lucero App, you might have seen this word before. Hint: It’s the title of Island 2 because the 28-day experience is designed to help improve your sense of confidence. You could say […]
Why Emotional Regulation is so Important for Teens
The teen years are known for intense emotions with good reason. First, the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain in charge of reasoning, logic and impulse control – is still developing in teens. Second, the hormones that spark puberty’s physical changes also amp up activity in the emotional and reward-seeking centers of the […]
Turning Negative Self-Talk into Confidence
“I can’t believe I missed that goal. I suck at hockey.” “I’m so fat. Nobody will ever like me.” “I’m going to bomb my algebra test… and probably the whole semester.” If you\’re the parent of a teenager, chances are, you hear more than your fair share of negative self-talk. All teens (and let’s face […]
The Family as a Protective Factor
Protective Factors are attributes in families that increase health and well-being. We could take that a bit further and state that family and community in and of themselves can be Protective Factors. Families who establish and maintain healthy habits, support each other, and engage in community are more likely to live more satisfying and fulfilling […]
Re-centering with Nature
Time in nature is critical for kids’ mental and emotional health. In the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv cites research connecting a lack of time in nature to attention disorders, obesity, a dampening of creativity, and depression. According to Louv, “Time in nature is not […]
