E 241 Surprising Wisdom From Gen Z Trends

Wisdom from Teens

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Christina: Hello. It's great to be with you. Today we are talking about surprising wisdom from teen trends. For those of you who don't know, Chris and I currently live with two teenagers and therefore we are around a lot of teenage energy. As such, we hear the kids talking about different trends or ways people in their age group and generation are engaging in the world.

And when I think back to my own life as a teenager, I thought, you know what? I have some good insights to life and I really appreciated it when older people would let me have a voice and share some of my perspectives and personal experiences. Now, obviously I still had a lot of life to live and experiences to have but that doesn't mean that teens don't have a perspective that we can learn from.

And I also find it interesting to notice what trends are happening in the wider culture that we live in. And that's just something that I've always been fascinated with. So for example, as we're in the new year. Often things like self care or recognizing the need [00:01:00] for rest comes up in conversations as people are focusing on intentions, right?

For the new year, or I feel like a lot of people this year have been catching up from the holidays and a busy end of the year. And I read a New York Times article towards the end of the year that was talking about what to do with downtime and how if we're not used to taking time off, it can feel a bit unsettling to know how to spend that time.

And so this is a conversation that we've had with our kids and I think we've come to understand that even something like rest isn't quite as straightforward as we might think. Now our teens aren't necessarily reading the New York Times, but as we talk, we realize we actually have similar wisdom and similar ways that we're coming to things, albeit with different language.

And so we thought it would be interesting to look at four pieces of wisdom from the perspective of Gen Z trends. Now I recognize that some of our podcast listeners, you also may live with teenagers or have teenagers in your life, and so you may [00:02:00] relate to what some of what we're saying and sharing and maybe chuckle a bit, and others may not have the opportunity with teens in their life during the season.

And so hopefully you can get some new insights because I think it's always important that we're looking to the younger generation and trying to understand intergenerational engagement with the world. That just feels really important to us. And our hope for the podcast today.

Chris: Yes. And the first wisdom that we want to talk about from Gen Z is, touching grass and touching grass is slang telling someone to go outside and engage with the real world to get perspective. So when young people are stressed out with schoolwork or demands of extracurricular or friend drama, they might talk about the need to go and touch grass and they're out of touch with reality and they need to be grounded in nature.

And that is literally wisdom that I use in my own life and with people [00:03:00] that I meet for spiritual guidance. I don't use that phrase touching grass, but I do encourage people to get fresh air and allow nature to be a restorative agent in their lives. In fact, most. Of the people that I meet with in person for spiritual direction, choose to walk outdoors and talk as we walk along the trails, and it's a very restorative for physical and mental and spiritual respite in their life.

Christina: Yeah. And I find it interesting that these concepts are reaching teens, but that they need their own language around it. They feel like they need to own it, which is important. 

And that's beautiful to me. Because I think much of what we do in our line of work with spiritual health is trying to modernize it and make it accessible.

And so I think touching grass is a catchy way to say. Get a grip and take in the surroundings, which is important, right? And they're not gonna maybe listen to whatever nature thing you're talking about, Chris or myself. But that does feel like a touch, a [00:04:00] catchy phrase that makes sense to them.

Now I will say it's harder to implement because I will hear my teen say it, but then often they need some encouragement to actually do it and implement it. And once they do that, they're glad they did. But it gives us some common language. Now, on the other hand, our 10-year-old doesn't need anyone to tell him to go outside and touch grass.

It's very natural for him, but he's in Gen Alpha which is actually a different generation from Gen Z. He's still only 10. So we'll see what that looks like in a few years. But touching grass. The next piece of wisdom is what the younger folks call the flow state. And this is being absorbed in an activity where you lose a sense of time.

You're in the zone, you're on autopilot. You feel this deep sense of focus. And again, I talk about this concept all the time, only with different language. There's a book by Gay Hendrix called The Big Leap, and he talks about our zones of genius. And it's the idea that in our work we have four zones.

There is the zone of [00:05:00] incompetence, zone of competence, zone of excellence. Zone of genius. So let me unpack that a little bit. Incompetence are things that we're clearly not good at, we don't enjoy, and it drains us. Competence are things that we're okay, we can do it, but it's definitely not our sweet spot.

Excellence are things that we do well and bring some sense of accomplishment, and our Jones of genius are this flow state. It's when we're immersed in our work or a project and we lose track of time because we're so into it. There's a sense of ease. Chris, I'm sure you experience this sometimes when you're playing music or guitar.

I experience it when I'm facilitating groups or sessions, and I know I am in my sweet spot right now and I am offering the world my unique gifts in a way that connects, and I feel it, I feel that sense of genius where there's a sense of, in my quote, flow state as the kids would stay. And I love that young people are talking about this because I think it gives them language to pay attention to what lights them up and brings them energy and fullness of life, which is something that we all want to [00:06:00] aspire towards.

Chris: Yes, absolutely. And, , we're bringing out this terminology of flow state and I think. I'm in the flow or flow state these different ways of phrasing your connectedness to time and maybe even your awareness of time and what you're doing. But it's been a learning curve for me with my teenagers and when they describe, they're in the flow state, I'm like, how are you in a flow state?

You're like laying on the couch. But I, I think with you, I've also learned about. Flow state

I think sometimes I'll walk inside the house and Christina, my wife, you that I'm doing this podcast with are sitting on the couch in the living room. One of the amazing things about our living room is that it gets a lot of light. And, we have a lot of workstations around our house. We have a ton of different desks, but for some reason our living room that gets light is a place where you can [00:07:00] get into that flow state.

It's a locale, it, our kids get into a flow state in that la locale as well. And so when someone walks in the door, hey, how's it going? You just this awareness of, okay, they're in this space, in this family space, but also there's this flow state that is happening. And I'll go get a cup of coffee or a drink of water or find somebody else that isn't in this particular time space that we call a flow state.

So yeah, absolutely.

Christina: Yeah. And just to build off that I appreciate you naming that, and I think that's a learning curve for me as well sometimes, Chris, when you're in a flow state with your music and I don't realize that and I'm interrupting you and it pulls you out and it's a bummer because you were in this flow or are.

Middle child loves to do crafting and she'll be on her bedroom floor with just all sorts of crafting things and her music going, or a podcast or an audio book in the background. And and so just giving space to that, that when we're in our flow state, we don't wanna be yanked out of that. We wanna continue, our son will get into a [00:08:00] slow state with, maybe, sports statistics that he's, he's got a little chart now with the playoffs coming up and he's analyzing who he thinks is gonna do what and the different sports stats, and that's his flow state. And so I think again, that's important to recognize that and when the person's losing a sense of time, allowing them that, because I think that's a beautiful way that we're experiencing and our cups are being full.

I just think about the phrase Jesus says, I have come to give you life and life abundantly. And to me, I feel like that flow state is really clicking with this is how I'm made and this is how I engage with the world, and I'm unashamedly enjoying that in a guilt-free way. So yeah,

Chris: the next piece of wisdom is called bed rotting. And this is basically laying in bed for hours at a time as a way of decompressing from life or stress. Usually it is scrolling on your phone binge watching a show, playing video games, and just mentally checking out. And I think.

Teenagers [00:09:00] see the value in downtime, but bed rott is another level where you might intervene with a friend if they have not gotten out of bed all day and haven't eaten or taken a shower or gone they've gone a bit overboard because it can lead to depression and. Overtaking sense of lethargy and apathy.

And I think the wisdom in this trend is in the name that there is a difference between lounging in bed and rotting in bed. Again, whether or not someone leans into the wisdom is another thing, but the fact that the name implies the potential for unhealth is very interesting to me.

Christina: Yeah. I find this one fascinating because I love lounging in bed.

When I have a Saturday morning where I don't have to be anywhere and I can lay around, it's a luxury for me. I love having a cup of tea or a cup of coffee and reading or journaling or listening to podcasts [00:10:00] and being uninterrupted. And so I think that there's a real restorative nature. That for certain personality types.

And I actually discovered there's a Scottish word from the 18 hundreds called Herl. Durell, which is just this really fun word. But HERL, Durell is to linger, awakened, bed wrapped in your best blanket, after you quote unquote should have gotten up. And so it's again, that those like weekend mornings that we think about.

But again, I think the difference between Herchel Durell. Which again goes back to the 18 hundreds before scrolling and games and things like that. And bed riding is that it's an indulgent morning. It's not the entire weekend. There's an end in sight. And so maybe you have a long morning or even, I'll be honest, here in Wisconsin sometimes we get snowed in and we have snow days.

And so we may have a day of Kel Durell where we're lounging longer, but it's not in bed necessarily. Maybe some of that, but it's on the couch together by the fire. And so to me, lounging and resting is a different sort of state. And I think that the bed rotting is a sign of her dekel [00:11:00] going too far right?

And leading into depression. And Chris, I agree with you. I think that there's real wisdom in and it's funny, right? Your bed rotting or brain rotting is another word that they use where you're just like feeding your brain just rot and you know it, but you just keep doing it anyway. I know I'm eating way too many.

Potato chips right now or ice cream and I don't care. It's not good for my body, but I'm doing it anyway. And then you reach a point where it's I feel sick to my stomach and I need to stop 

Chris: sort of 

Christina: a thing. And so again, I think it's clever that the younger generation has put something in there.

Again, implementation's another thing, but we're not talking about that now 'cause they're teens and this is part of life, but the wisdom of something can go a little bit too far and then become rot. So I appreciate what you're naming there.

Chris: I love that I've not heard that term before. Kel Durell. And I've been listening to a guy that's talking about wrapping himself in, , in a blanket, and he's using it to describe letting a story just be immersive in you.

But I, I think that's a great visual. [00:12:00] Her durell or. Wrapping yourself in a blanket and there's a meditative piece to it, right? You're looking for, insight, you're looking for growth, you're looking for depth. And I think the, you mentioned, and we won't talk about it much, but the the doom scrolling or the brain rotting, that could happen with, bed rotting.

But I think. That's the difference is the depth that one is looking for in wrapping themselves in an experience or, cocooning in bed or, the, her durell, if you will.

Christina: , And I, we, a couple of years ago, splurge and got a new bed. It's a Casper and it reclined like you, there's a little button and it can go up or down or whatever.

And gosh, I love it is like one of my favorite things. And I have really warm blankets. And literally like when I go to bed at night and I wake up in the morning, like that's one of the first things I. Tell God I love him. And I just, I'm so grateful for my warm, cozy blanket in my bed. And there I like that word.

You use Chris Cocooning and there is something about that. And sometimes when I am [00:13:00] doing Kel Dole and in a flow state to use another thing like a lot of my writing or creative energies come out when I'm in that state too. 'cause there's just something like really restful and restorative about that, that then can even produce some good things of work-wise.

So anyway, yeah.

Chris: Our final piece of wisdom from Gen Z is called Grandma and Grandpa Hobbies, and there has been just a recent uptick in analog or tactile hobbies among young people, and it's literally the kind of hobbies that your grandma or grandpa might do. Things like crocheting or woodworking or building model airplanes.

And when I think about my grandparents, they didn't have access to many of our modern conveniences. So they spent time in these slow hobbies. And my, I remember just Saturday mornings, my grandma having, like a hundred piece puzzle that she's sitting and looking at. And, she [00:14:00] would, she was very inclusive.

She would invite me to come and do the puzzle with her. But it was this, just this thing where she just decompressed from the week. And so I love that term, grandma and grandpa. Hobbies.

Christina: . And I've been researching lately about the Blue Zones, which are areas in the world where people are living to be over a hundred and recognizing that it's not just about health, like what they're eating or their movement, but it's also their hobbies.

That's a really big part of what helps people to live a long and satisfying life, right? Where they're not sick and Ill into their one hundreds, but actually thriving and again, these grandma and grandpa hobbies, it's. It's different. There's, physical hobbies such as playing pickleball or fishing, going, things like that.

Mental hobbies, like you're mentioning the puzzles. Chris reading a book, an actual physical copy of a book, learning a language a resurgence of that coming up. There's social hobbies of playing cars. I remember like our next door neighbor's, grandma. Would have a Canasta night once a week, [00:15:00] or she would go to the bingo hall and play down the road.

Bingo. And that was her social outlet of doing games or cards or even altruistic hobbies like volunteering or community service. I think a lot of people in retirement or latter years, they're always looking for how they can serve others and that becomes that analog hobby. And I find it interesting because, as parents and just even as humans in this world, obviously I we're on a device right now. I use my phone and my computer every single day. For the most part, it's just part of the world that we live in and it's not going anywhere. And so it's interesting to me though that there's just something of human nature that's being drawn back to these things because there is something important about the tactile nature that you mentioned, Chris.

And so I think I'm appreciative that, again, gen Z is and it's cute and clever, the grandma and grandpa hobbies and I'm seeing it and it's our kids are engaging in. Card games and Uno with their friends, or lots of crocheting happening or things like that. And I think it's fun and wonderful.

We recently were in St. Louis and it was, all the cousins minus one who [00:16:00] was traveling and couldn't make it. But and it was so fun to watch them over the weekend. 'cause it was our youngest is 10, then our teenagers through a mid twenties and they had just such a lovely mixture in the weekend of they did vision boards together, they played games and they also had some screen time too.

And so they went, bowling. It was like this really nice mixture of. The grandma and grandpa hobbies with kind of Gen Z sort of things that a Gen Z or would do. Just really appreciate this wisdom that we're learning from our younger folks. Yes, it was interesting and fun. And just as we conclude a recap wisdom from Teens and Gen Z.

The first is touching grass. The second is flow State. And the third is bed rotting or avoiding bed rotting. And last but not least is grandma and grandpa hobbies. So we hope that you have enjoyed the [00:17:00] conversation today. Wisdom from teens.

 Now is the part of the podcast where we talk about what we are into. So what are we into? I, for a while now have listened to a podcast from Zoey Health and it's kinda these scientists talking about different health trends and things to pay attention to and really appreciate that. And they have an app, the Zoey Health app that I have just been loving and I'm not one to like.

I dunno, do food logs and things like that. It just seems cumbersome. But with the ZO app, you take a picture of your meal and then it analyzes how many gut microbes with, good bacteria and fiber and protein and all the things. And it's just really fascinating and it's. Cute. 'cause like it'll score you and then Zoe gets really excited when you eat a really healthy breakfast or something like that.

And I dunno, it's just been a fun way to think a little bit more about how I'm nourishing my body and what I'm putting into my body. And just appreciate the AI element of that. It's really easy. So that's what I'm [00:18:00] into. Lovely. And I love that we do it together and I've been into it.

As well. But what I've really been into I have an author that I have been just really enjoying. I may have talked about his book Courting the Wild Twin before on the podcast. He's coming out with a new book called Liturgies from the Wild. A very interesting guy. Martin Shaw is his name. And he's been leading.

Wilderness initiatives or initiations. For 30 years he's been writing, he's a mythologist, so he's a professor. I think he might be an adjunct professor at Cambridge in England. So I love his. Just classical British accent as he tells stories. But I've been listening to as many stories as I can, many myths as I can find on the [00:19:00] internet with this Martin Shaw.

And, liturgies of the wild has not come out yet, but I love all things to do with nature being out in nature. So I am so looking forward to this new book that's coming out and that's what I've been into. Thank you so much for joining us. It was great to have you on the podcast listening, and we hope that you make it a great week.

See you next time.