Raising Your Teen to Embrace Vulnerability
When parents are asked what qualities we hope for in our teens, we use words like kindness, courage, resilience, and purpose. Vulnerability probably doesn’t make it onto many lists, but maybe it should. According to clinical social worker and researcher Dr. Brené Brown, embracing vulnerability – including our imperfections, mistakes, and difficult emotions – is […]
Why Being More Present is so Important for Teens
Did you know that learning to be more at home in the present can give teens a brighter future? Being more present gives them tools to manage stress, reduce anxiety, increase their focus and build emotional resilience. And since adolescence is a critical time for brain development, teens who practice presence are learning healthy habits […]
How Healthy Habits Can Improve Your Connection to Yourself and Others
Connection is a cornerstone of teen mental health. But what does it mean for teens and tweens to feel connected? Imagine that each positive relationship in your teen’s life is like a single strand in their individual safety net. Many relationships equal a strong safety net. When they’re struggling, make a mistake, or need help, […]
How to Give Your Teen Advice
Every parent of a teenager knows how tricky giving advice can be sometimes. Teens still need your guidance, but they’re likely to resist receiving it. Psychologist Lisa Damour says, “First, teenagers bring us their problems; second, we earnestly offer suggestions and solutions; and third, teenagers dismiss our ideas as irritating, irrelevant or both.” Sound familiar? […]
4 Tips for Helping Teens Overcome Loneliness
Teens are lonelier than any other age group, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Adolescence, and rates of teenage loneliness have doubled in the past decade. Besides causing emotional pain, loneliness impacts teens’ mental and physical health. It is a risk factor for depression, anxiety and substance abuse, and correlates with […]
Helping Your Teen Navigate Grief and Loss
Teens grieve differently than younger children and adults, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology. That’s because teens have an adult concept of death but haven’t developed adult-level coping skills or the capacity for emotional self-regulation. Because grief can have a long-term impact on teens\’ sense of identity and their social and […]
Our History: How Did Lucero Come to Exist?
When you tap on the pink and green icon with Lucero’s friendly face, you know you’re about to set out on an adventure of self-discovery. But the journey to build a gamified wellness app for tweens and teens actually started years ago, and – just like you – Lucero has been evolving ever since. Here’s […]
Why We Chose a Youth-driven Approach
Do you ever wish you could travel back in time and give your teenage self advice, encouragement, or maybe just a hug? Many of us have great memories of being a teenager, but we all remember plenty of challenging, cringe-worthy moments, too. A lot has changed, but tweens and teens still need tools to help […]
How to Help Teens Deal With Disappointment
Elena says she knew something was wrong the moment she got a text from her 14-year-old daughter asking to be picked up from school a little early. “As soon as she closed the car door she started sobbing. Her first boyfriend had broken up with her. I just wanted to fix it. It felt like […]
How Healthy Habits Help Teens Navigate Transitions
Imagine that you’re an explorer about to journey into unfamiliar territory. You have no idea what challenges you’ll face, so you need to fill your pack with tools to help you stay safe and find your way. Adolescence is a lot like that: exciting, scary, and full of transitions. And just like explorers, teens need […]
