A WISE 17-Year-Old's Guide to a Future You Can't See (Episode 108)

What happens when a teenager who once couldn't see past Tuesday discovers the power to shape her future? In this deeply moving conversation, 17-year-old Meera Shah reveals her remarkable journey from debilitating anxiety and depression to newfound hope and purpose.

Meera candidly shares how perfectionism and academic pressure once consumed her life, leading to severe mental health struggles that left her questioning her worth and future. "I didn't know how to see myself past the next two days," she admits, describing a time when simply waking up each morning felt like an insurmountable battle.

The transformation she's undergone in just one year is nothing short of extraordinary. Through therapy, intentional relationship-building, and radical changes to her self-care practices, Meera has rediscovered joy and possibility. Her decision to make eight hours of sleep "non-negotiable" symbolizes a profound shift in priorities – from achievement at all costs to balanced wellbeing.

What makes this conversation especially valuable is Meera's insights into the challenges facing her generation. She offers a nuanced perspective on how social media functions as both a numbing escape mechanism and a source of unhealthy comparison, while addressing the toxic competitive culture that pushes teens to breaking points. Her advice to peers struggling with similar issues is refreshingly practical: focus on yourself, make certain aspects of self-care non-negotiable, and remember that you don't need to do everything at once.

Perhaps most powerful is Meera's message about determination. As host Fatima Bey emphasizes in the episode's mind-shifting moment: "Once you make the decision that you are not going to stay there... that is when change will happen." This conversation offers hope and actionable wisdom for anyone – teenager or adult – who's ready to make that decision for themselves.

Meera also has a small business. Please click below to check it out.

https://www.instagram.com/meerasprints/

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