I had teen angst for a while, but I think every teenager has the

Jamie Bell once reflected with simplicity and truth: "I had teen angst for a while, but I think every teenager has the angst." In these words lies the recognition of a universal storm that touches nearly every soul in the fragile years of youth. The phrase teen angst is not mere melodrama, but the cry of a spirit caught between childhood and adulthood, longing for identity, aching with confusion, and wrestling with the meaning of existence. Bell’s confession is both personal and collective—he names his own struggles, but in doing so acknowledges that they are shared by all who walk the turbulent path of adolescence.

The origin of this truth lies in Bell’s own life, rising to fame as a boy through his role in Billy Elliot. Thrust into the public eye at a young age, he carried the same burdens that all teenagers bear—questions of self-worth, belonging, and direction—while also facing the amplified pressures of celebrity. Yet, he recognized that his struggles were not unique to him. They were the echoes of something timeless: the inevitable storm of growing up, of confronting change both in the body and in the soul.

Throughout history, this phenomenon has been recorded again and again. The young Mary Shelley, barely nineteen when she penned Frankenstein, poured her angst into the creation of a story about life, death, and alienation. Or consider Mozart, whose teenage years were marked by both extraordinary talent and profound restlessness, his letters filled with complaints of isolation and frustration. The lives of such figures remind us that youthful turmoil has always been a crucible where creativity, identity, and vision are forged.

Bell’s words also remind us of the transitory nature of angst. He says, “I had it for a while,” suggesting that it passes, that the storm does not last forever. For though adolescence is fierce with fire, time tempers it. What once felt unbearable becomes memory, and what once seemed chaos becomes clarity. The angst of youth is not a permanent curse but a rite of passage, a bridge across which the young must walk in order to emerge stronger, wiser, and more fully themselves.

There is also a quiet wisdom in Bell’s recognition that every teenager bears this burden. To know that angst is universal is to know that one is not alone. The young who suffer often feel isolated, believing their pain to be unique, their struggles unmatched. But when they realize that others share the same anxieties and restless longings, they find comfort and solidarity. What once was a solitary anguish becomes a common human experience, binding generations together in empathy.

The lesson for us is clear: when you feel angst, do not despise it, nor fear it. Instead, see it as the fire that forges your spirit. Use it to ask questions, to seek truth, to shape yourself into who you are meant to become. And if you see another drowning in their angst, extend compassion, for their storm is also your storm, and your kindness may be the anchor that steadies them.

Therefore, children of tomorrow, hear the wisdom of Jamie Bell. Do not think your restlessness strange, nor your sorrow without purpose. The angst of youth is but the sign that you are alive, that you are awakening to the weight of existence. Endure it, learn from it, and trust that it will pass, leaving behind the strength of one who has weathered the storm. For in the anguish of adolescence lies the seed of the adult soul, ready to bloom into resilience, wisdom, and compassion for others.