ZINE
When
We listen.
ZINE
When
We listen.
Welcome to the Gurls Talk zine. Here at Gurls Talk, we've spent years listening to girls and young women around the world. Through every conversation, one thing has remained clear: when we share our stories, we remind each other that we're not alone.
This zine is a collection of voices, experiences, creativity, and care from our community made to remind you that there is strength in vulnerability, comfort in connection, and power in showing up as your whole self. As you turn these pages, we hope you remember:
is a community-led non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of adolescent girls and young women*
*We welcome anyone who identifies as a gurl, including non-binary young people and those exploring their gender.
“I'm grateful for the mistakes I made and for what that taught me. Even though it would've been easier to learn some other way – experience is empowering when you can find meaning in it.
You're not as bad as you think you are, and it's OK to ask for help. When I was your age, I didn't know what to do or how to handle the things that you are struggling with either. There isn't a guidebook for life and you didn't miss it. Sometimes the greatest guide is to let go and look to someone you can trust. They will probably have gone through something similar, or maybe they'll know someone who has. You are not alone, and you don't have to be.
On the other side of every challenge is strength that will make life more beautiful than you can imagine. You are exactly where you need to be – you just have to trust yourself.
There are two days in every week about which we should not worry; two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension – yesterday and tomorrow. ♡ Today is one to be curious about, and where there is challenge, there is also possibility. ♡”
Gratitude is a small habit that can make a big difference. Taking a moment to notice what you're grateful for can lift your mood and boost your wellbeing. Add one small thing you're grateful for, like a song, a person or a good meal, and watch it drop into the jar. Tap the jar to pull one out.
Your jar is only kept in this browser.
We asked our community to give a piece of advice that their younger self needed to hear.
Write it here, then share it with Gurls Talk when you're ready.
Dr. Cindy Huang is a child psychologist, professor, and clinical advisor at Gurls Talk. Read her tips on community, family, friends, mental health, and getting support.
You may already know these tips for mental wellness… but do you know the science behind why they work? Tap a card to flip it.
Card 4 in action. Breathe in through your nose, take a second short sip of air to top up, then let it all out slowly through your mouth. Follow the circle for as long as feels good.
Dawn is a former participant of our US Ambassador Program. Through our year-long program, she gained mental health education, skills and support to become an advocate and agent of change in her community.
Being in the Gurls Talk space and existing as a part of the community have intensified my understanding of what being present is. In addition to taking up space (whether virtually or physically), presence is listening, it's curiosity, it's care, and it's malleable. This new awareness has actively expanded the way I am present in my intimate, familiar, and formal connections. From being a goofy big sister to my 7-year-old best friend, to a strong-willed eldest daughter, to a vague acquaintance; I intentionally try to savor every moment I share with girls all around me. I convinced myself that carefully measuring my self-expression with a weathered dial was the only way to maintain my boundaries and preserve my inner world. This belief undoubtedly crumbled, albeit slowly. Gradually opening myself up to being mindfully present brought a warmth that dispelled the cold, yet immensely comfortable, familiarity of distance.
Listening to other girls has taught me how much I value being present for others, and consequently, how much I need to be present for myself. Admittedly, I crave getting to know others, am curious and present in conversations, and remain porous to the smaller details people tend to subtly impart. I've always felt it instinctive to observe others and the world around me in painfully magnified detail. Yet, I tended to favor observing myself with the safe distance offered by a bird's eye view. When reflecting on how much our sessions mean to me, the specific words I need scatter and flee. After the ambassador program ended, I continued to revel in the invaluable lesson gifted to me in my early 20s, crafted through our pixelated tears and infectious laughter echoing through the overworked speakers of my laptop: I want to be wholly present in my own life. Possibly even more, I am unwilling to remain the neutral, translucent, disconnected observer.
Have you ever tried writing about your mental health? How did it feel?
my mind, like the seasons forever changing and flowing autumn into winter spring into summer days that are consumed with darkness, like moody clouds where the world feels heavy ~ winter days that are warm and joyous with blue blissful skies and flowers blooming ~ summer my mind, my feelings, forever changing, a part of who i am a chapter of my life, turning the page into the next season i know everything will be ok as i look at the ever changing seasons ~ Emily Griffiths
“I would say to younger me, please don't worry like you did - honestly it really wasn't worth it in the end. Your shyness and quirky little ways just makes you who you are now, creative and using your voice to make change! I'm now a women's health and mental health campaigner, writer and poet. Your creativity will see you shine on some of the biggest platforms and share your written work with some of the largest magazines. My advice is to be exactly who you are, truly, 100% your beautiful self. Same to anyone who feels like they don't fit in, you shine differently and that's pretty special.”
Taking care of ourselves doesn't always look like a big gesture. Sometimes it's making a meal, slowing down, and giving our bodies something nourishing. Fuelling your body properly also helps keep your stress response calm (see card 8 in the neuroscience section). Here, three creators share how cooking has become part of the way they care for their mental wellbeing.
Cooking for yourself is one way to show yourself care. Here's another: talking to yourself the way you'd talk to a friend. Being kind to yourself can help calm your body's stress response (see card 7 in the neuroscience section).
Think of something that feels hard right now, big or small. Then take it one step at a time. At the end, you can turn your words into a phone or desktop wallpaper, or an Instagram Story.
“Writing about [my mental health journey] was cathartic. I felt like a weight had been lifted. It allowed me to communicate the message that I feel is the most important; recovery is not a linear process and should not be expected to be so.”— @lottiemcgrath
Tick each one that feels true for you before you share.
Share your story with our communitygurlstalk.com/"I used to feel so isolated in my experience, like no one could understand what I was going through. The moment I shared and heard other people's stories, everything changed. I realized how many people felt the same way that I did, no matter how different our backgrounds."— Adwoa Aboah
“I'm grateful that I journaled obsessively throughout my childhood, especially because finding time and space to write was harder than it sounds. Growing up, we didn't live in a huge house, so my family were on top of each other half the time, with very little privacy. I also didn't want anyone snooping through my diary pages and finding all the weird fears I had or my growing fascination about bodies. So I'd get creative by sitting with my back against the door to write, or scribbling away in the bathtub with the taps running. Even though it felt like such a pain at the time, looking back, I'm so glad I did it.
You have to advocate for yourself so much in the world of mental health and getting support for that, especially when you look a certain way or have lived a certain kind of life. Being questioned or misunderstood so often can leave you doubting your own reality, asking yourself, did I really feel that way, did I really struggle that much? At those times, when I can't reach into my brain and grasp memories or feelings that feel solid and tangible, I have my childhood journals. Those pages hold my words, worries, and feelings in black and white and have been proof of struggles I faced that lasted far longer than I realised.
I hated outwardly showing “weakness” which is why I wrote so much. I used to cringe reading them back because I felt I seemed melodramatic. At university pre-drinks, I'd even read out some of the most embarrassing entries, thinking that if I got ahead of the version of myself that I worried could take over at any moment, then maybe I could feel in control. But now I don't hide from those thoughts. Again I read the entries out loud, only this time it's to psychiatrists, therapists, and counsellors and those journals became evidence, helping me advocate for myself at times when I couldn't find the right words to explain what I was feeling.
Frankly, I owe a lot to my younger self in many ways, but the journaling is something I would have been lost without.”
What's your favorite journaling prompt?
“Journaling is somethingI would have beenlost without.”
Journaling often starts with finding the right word for how you feel. Psychologists call this affect labeling. Putting a feeling into words can calm the brain's emotional alarm and make it easier to regulate your emotions (see card 6 in the neuroscience section).
Tap the feeling that's closest, then pick a more exact word.
Private to you. Nothing here is sent anywhere. Copy it if you want to keep it or share it with someone.
We asked our community to give a shoutout to someone who helped them through a hard time. Who would you shoutout?
Think of someone who got you through. Write it here, then copy it and send it to them.
The Gurls Talk team reads every shoutout. Some are picked to appear on this page, without your name.
I focus on oil painting and almost exclusively paint nude female figures. My work confronts the negative connotations surrounding the female body and body image, challenging stereotypes by creating powerful figures that demand respect. Through large-scale compositions and poses that shift the power dynamic, my paintings reclaim space and celebrate women unapologetically. I keep my work highly realistic, highlighting body hair, stretch marks, and rolls, not just including them, but glorifying them.
Emotions live in your body - some hurt your chest or cause your fingertips to tingle. Sometimes I get a feeling so strong it travels all over my body and it needs to get out. When I create a piece of work based off that emotion - I am able to focus all the attention to it - understand it - translate it into a painting. The act of creating the piece is actually helping me by taking it from inside my mind and body and removing it from myself and putting it into a physical form. It's kind of like taking a picture - when I look at it I am able to capture how I was feeling at that exact moment.
Sometimes I find myself having a bad day - could be a thought or an insecurity or just feeling. First instinct is to try and forget about it and do things to bury it. When I am working, I use that negative thought and really focus in on it. I think about it, create work around it, reflect on it, spend time with it. When I do that - it stops becoming this giant thing I need to run away from and more like something that I can manage. I spend so much time with it - I am able to understand it and either come to terms with it or put it in a painting and out of my body.
Painting by Aleena Sharif. Tap to view larger
Meet Emma and Greta, two gurls who participated in the 2021-2022 US Gurls Talk Ambassador Program.
Three prompts in Adwoa's own handwriting. What you write or draw here is private. Nobody else can see it. It might not be here next time you visit, so screenshot anything you want to keep.
Drag stickers to move them. Tap one to resize or remove it.
Our bodies and the way we look are only one small part of who we are. We asked our community, and they answered:
One of you told us: “I can grow absolute clouds of sweet peas and I actually prefer cold baked beans.” The things we care about say so much more about us than how we look. Give this little seed some water and some sunshine and watch it grow. You need some sun too: morning daylight helps keep your sleep steady (see card 5 in the neuroscience section).
It's just a little bean in the soil right now.
Your answers show up in pink, and only you can see them. Green ones were sent in by the community.
We asked multidisciplinary movement artist Daria a few questions about how movement impacts her mental health. Moving your body really does help your brain (see card 1 in the neuroscience section).
Movement is the first thing I do when I wake up. Before I think of words, I remember my dreams. Then they fade as I stretch, turn and twist. It's how my body understands that I'm here, that I'm awake.
Before we have words, we move. A baby reaches for someone it loves. Good news makes you stand taller. Fear makes you hide or prepares you to run. Our bodies understand things immediately. Sometimes our minds need a little longer to catch up.
For me, performing is simply translating the present moment with my body. Often there isn't an emotion I could name, yet people watching will describe exactly what they felt. They read me through my movement, my appearance, the way I wear my clothes, the places I choose to be in, the light and the colours around me.
I'm very intentional about setting the stage and creating the right conditions. I don't try to control the movement itself, I let my body finish the thought. It's an experiment. I'm simply setting up the lab and documenting the results.
In my work I push things to physical extremes, so there is only balance or falling. I like that honesty. When a movement lands, it carries its own rhythm. I train in silence, yet almost any song will fit a move that has passed the experiment. Those are the movements I share because they feel true. As if, for a brief moment, I understood my body, the garment, gravity and breath all at once.
The only way I can describe that feeling is: this was me.
That's when I know my work will connect.
I'm grateful I never stopped moving.
There are photos of me at two years old climbing with my feet up the wall. I always wanted to be upside down. I loved spinning, and I still do. That curiosity never left.
I'm also grateful I never stopped collecting skills without needing them to make sense immediately. Gymnastics, martial arts, architecture, fashion, filmmaking. They all looked unrelated for years. I remember thinking, I don't know what I'm doing. For now, I'm just collecting skills.
Now they're finally merging into one language.
Nothing gives me more energy than hearing that children love my videos. They try to repeat what they see, just like me, when I wanted to move like Lara Croft after discovering Tomb Raider. It's beautiful to think that something I made might become the beginning of someone else's story.
I've always trusted my instincts. My body often knows before my mind does. Some days my feet literally take me down a different path or stop me completely. I follow that. I don't have it in me to force a direction that doesn't feel true.
My daily work is to observe myself so I can understand what I am, and translate that into something I can share. The more honestly I observe myself, the fewer contradictions I carry. The freer I can move, and the more clearly my own visual language appears.
Stunts, fashion, film, design and architecture no longer feel like separate disciplines. They're all merging into one language. Every day I try to make something that feels more true to me than the day before. Those become the visuals that resonate most. I learn from that dialogue, keep evolving, and my direction becomes clearer with every project.
Right now, I'm at the very beginning of a path I see so clearly. I'm hungry to keep connecting movement, film and design into one language. I can't wait to experience where it takes me and who it connects me with ♡
Cath is one of our wonderful coaches from Coach In Your Corner, a program we created with Women Win and Nike to support young people's mental wellbeing.
Image via @davidedwardsphotographer
Learn more about CIYCciyctoolkit.gurlstalk.com
News is now 24/7, delivered directly through social graphics and constant alerts. This constant exposure to traumatic events naturally leads to anxiety, stress, and feeling overwhelmed.
Remember: Stepping back isn't apathy. It's self-preservation so you can return strong enough to create real change.
Pick the ones you'll try this week.
Donate strategically: Contribute funds, needed resources, or time to verified ground organizations.
Uplift victims: Listen directly to affected communities, prioritize their stories, and share their voices.
When you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, here's an exercise to help bring you back into the present moment. Tap the icon once for each thing you notice. Take your time.
If one of these senses doesn't work for you, that's completely fine. Skip it and move on to the next one.
things you can see
Dezrika is an MBACP (Registered Member) Integrative Psychotherapist, Counsellor & Community Facilitator at Gurls Talk. We asked her a few questions about her expertise and experience working in invisible disabilities and social justice.
“Access isn't a favour we do for some people. It's how we build a world that works for all of us.”
Meet Anna and Laura, two amazing gurls participating in the 2025-2026 UK Gurls Talk Ambassador Program.
Watch their full conversationANNA: What's a habit or ritual that keeps you steady during these hard times?
LAURA: Mine is inspired by Grey's Anatomy. Whenever a character was going through something or they had a relationship problem, they said, “We're just going to dance it out.” I'll play a song and literally just dance and it helps me feel so grounded in my body. I feel so free. So yeah, mine is just dancing it out.
ANNA: Yeah, I'm the exact same. I just love the feeling of kind of getting in touch with my body and in touch with others. And for me, as someone who's autistic, I feel like dancing is like a really socially acceptable way to stim. Nobody's going to judge me. Everybody's like, yes, you do that.
LAURA: How has being in this space changed the way you show up in connection with other girls?
ANNA: It just feels like a super supportive space. You can just bring your true, full self. It's very just like judgment free. I'm feeling super kind of just liberated in that I can bring my true self and everybody is happy for it to be that way.
LAURA: It's allowed me to be much more comfortable in the way I show up without any need for performativeness. I feel so safe to be able to say how I actually feel about things, knowing that no one is judging me for it, and knowing that actually other people feel the same way.
ANNA: None of us are too much. We're just amazing!
LAURA: We're just right!
We asked our community: What's a habit or ritual that keeps you steady during hard times?
“As a woman with BPD, I experience really intense and overwhelming emotions and this can often be really distressing. My friends are such a source of comfort to me and have got me through some really tough times. Whether it's making me dinner, chatting for hours and distracting me or just sitting with me in the depths until it passes. I am soul tied to these girls, having people around you & a community who make you feel seen and loved is a salve for pretty much anything.”
Read more“I am a daydreamer, through and through. Through rough patches, I like to light some incense and all the candles I can get my hands on, putting on a movie from a bygone era, and writing all about the life that hasn't happened yet. I have a journal for this specific reason, to write diary entries about things that haven't happened yet, but will happen. If I'm having a very lone, very bad day, it will require a more immediate fix: I'll put on my favorite pair of oversized sunglasses, head to the bookstore, and have dinner by myself at the oldest restaurant around, which are usually the most beautiful.”
Read more“Going for long, long walks with my headphones on. As someone who spends a lot of time indoors working at a laptop, going on a walk during my lunch break or in the evenings feels incredibly grounding and soothing. Being in nature allows me to zoom out, get out of my own head, and feel present as part of the wider world around me. It's also the perfect opportunity to ruminate on my thoughts, dreams and ideas.”
Read morePick what works for you, borrowed from the community or your own. Next time a hard day hits, it's here waiting.
Sleep is an overnight reset for your brain (see card 2 in the neuroscience section). This little ritual helps you get there. Four steps, about two and a half minutes each. Try it at least an hour before you go to sleep, then put your phone away for the night. The screen gets darker as you go.
Ready when you are
Find somewhere comfy. Turn the volume down.
Mark what you want to read and what you've finished. Then add your own.
I don't know about you, but whenever I watch a film or TV show, I get very emotionally invested in the characters. Feeling like you can relate to who you're watching on screen is, for me, one of the best parts. Although, having said that, feeling completely horrified or dumbfounded by a character's words or actions is equally as interesting and entertaining.
I've found that throughout my life, I have related most to characters who are most like me. It sounds obvious; of course I will feel most in tune with someone who looks like me or is of a similar age, because those are the characters that we typically have the most in common with. Similar life experiences, similar fears, and similar desires. Isn't that the whole point? However, that general rule of thumb doesn't necessarily apply to me anymore.
I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 22 and, amongst other things, it really changed how I felt when I watched films or TV shows. I found that I could no longer relate to the characters that I would have before, the 20-somethings whose main issues are dating, work, or family drama. Suddenly, none of that felt as important as my health.
Of course, this doesn't apply to every piece of media I have consumed. Apple TV+'s Shrinking is always the first show that comes to mind when I think about what I find relatable. The show follows Jimmy, played by Jason Segel, a therapist who lost his wife. We watch as he and his daughter, Alice, played by Lukita Maxwell, along with their colleagues, neighbours, and the friends they meet along the way, process and deal with loss, grief, and so much more.
What really struck me about Shrinking was that I found myself relating most to Paul, played by Harrison Ford, a 70-something therapist (or ‘shrink') who is adjusting to life with Parkinson's. Paul makes a speech in the Season 2 finale which really hit me. I hadn't related to a character so much for so long that after I had stopped crying, I smiled. I felt seen again. Of course, a 70-something man is not necessarily the character I imagined I'd have a lot in common with, but a win's a win.
That's where Shrinking feels different to so many other films and TV shows that I've seen. The characters aren't solely relatable to those who look like them or are in a similar age demographic. Where other shows focus on the specific growing pains of a teenage girl or the mid-life crisis of a 50-year-old man, Shrinking proves that grief, fear, and healing transcend those boundaries. And whilst there's nothing wrong with relating to the kind of character that you are, I suppose, meant to relate to, when your life changes drastically and you find yourself feeling alone and isolated, it's films and TV shows like these that bring you back into the world. They make you feel a bit more normal again.
Lucy is a current participant of our UK Gurls Talk Ambassador Program.
Learn more about the ambassador programgurlstalk.comAsking for help can feel hard, but you don't have to figure everything out on your own. Whether you're going through a tough time or just need someone to talk to, support is out there.
You don't have to wait until you reach a breaking point.
UK: In an emergency, call 999. Samaritans are there 24/7, call free on 116 123. Or text SHOUT to 85258 for free, confidential text support, any time. If you're under 19, you can also call Childline free on 0800 1111.
US: In an emergency, call 911. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7. Or text HOME to 741741 for Crisis Text Line.
You don't need to be in crisis to reach out. The helplines above are there for you any time, and the Gurls Talk helplines page has lots more support for all kinds of situations.
The people in your life can help too. A trusted friend, family member, teacher, or your GP or doctor are all great places to start.
Add a helpline to your phone now, so it's there if you ever need it. Pick one, copy the number and save the contact photo and poster we made for you, then add them as a new contact.
Thank you for being part of the Gurls Talk community!
Builds connection Our relationships and connections enrich our lives.
Promotes wellbeing Social connections promote mental stability, resilience and self-esteem.
Gives purpose Connection can help give us a sense of purpose.
Quality over quantity Belonging is less about the quantity of relationships in your life and more about the quality of the connections you make.
Ask yourself
When was the last time I was around people that made me feel good?
When was the last time I texted or called a friend?
When was the last time I felt connected to another human being?
Be intentional Be intentional about how you connect and engage with others.
Listen Practice active listening and positive communication.
Stay curious Engage others from a place of curiosity.
Be patient It is okay to be nervous about starting new habits and social connections.
When was the last time you texted a friend? Feeling connected really does matter for your brain (see card 3 in the neuroscience section). Reaching out doesn't have to be a big deal. Here's an easy way to start. Copy it, change it, make it yours.
Here at Gurls Talk, we bring together our gurls to share experiences and support each other so they never have to feel alone.
We focus on the innate knowledge that girls have had all along – the curiosity to truly get to know themselves and to share their findings with one another.
After all, lived experience is the one thing that belongs to each of us wholly and completely. It's the one thing that nobody can take away.
Mad Love,
Adwoa ♡
Your voice matters. If you've been on a mental health journey, our submissions are open for your personal stories, poems, essays, artwork, and other creative expressions. We can't wait to hear from you!
