‘Karen*’ has become famous. Karen has a lot to say about a lot of things. Karen wants you to know what they know - and they know a lot! A Karen is a person who has opinions but lacks the evidence - valid evidence.
When January 1 rolls around, most of us look for fresh starts. This year we’ll lose weight, quit smoking or drinking too much, get along with family members and… the list goes on. Check in with folks on January 20 and most have either given up on their resolutions already, or have forgotten what they were.
Jennifer (name changed for privacy) first noticed feeling burned out when her daughter hit puberty. She said she felt “emotionally and physically drained and that I’m absolutely failing as a parent in every way.” At her worst, she remembers thinking, “I’m doing it all here, giving it all of me, why isn’t everything perfect here? It must be me.” Her feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted became so severe that she met with a counselor.
There has been an emerging trend among adolescents to self-diagnose any number of psychological conditions, largely based on information and content they consume online – particularly through TikTok and similar platforms. Often, teens find reassurance in watching other teens describe their psychological symptomology and much of the content they consume has them walking away from their screens saying, “hey, that sounds just like me!” The sense of validation and community and connection is strong and quite powerful.
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