The Millennial’s Guide to an Angst-Filled Youth

No matter how hard life seemed as a teen, there was nothing the right song couldn't solve.

When it seemed like the world didn't make sense and no one was ever going to understand you, somehow, you would stumble across a set of lyrics that spoke to your soul.

Whether you put the earphones in and turned the volume to max, or whether you preferred to scream your heart out behind your closed bedroom door, you'd be lucky to find a teen from the 2000s that hasn't uttered the words, "Music is my therapy". Maybe it was your sign in name on MSN messenger, or maybe it was in your Myspace bio, or perhaps you chose to let your carefully curated profile song do the talking; we all let our angst shine through our choices in music.

Here are my picks for every millennial, angst-filled teenage milestone:

The "First Day of High School": Terrifying. After spending the last year being the queen of the primary schoolyard, you are all of a sudden a very small fish in a very big pond. High School is huge, your classes are in different rooms and different buildings. You're separated from your friends. There are kids from all the other primary schools all pooled together. You have no idea where to go, what to do, who to talk to and it's only day one. You need an absolute banger to get you through this.

The Middle - Jimmy Eat World

It just takes some time

Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be all right, all right

The "Puberty Blues": I'm a girl, so for me, this meant my first period. Nothing says "You're officially a teenager now" like the arrival of that unwelcome friend. You don't remember ever feeling this crappy in your life. You need chocolate, ice cream, lame movies and heat packs. Stat. A great tune to help ease the pain doesn't go astray either.

These Days - Powderfinger

Soon enough it comes

And settles in its place

Its shadow in my face

Puts pressure in my day

The "First Crush": Nothing quite compares to having your first crush. The first time you go home and find it hard to sleep because you can't get them off your mind. Dreaming about what it would be like if they noticed you, and, dare I say it, wanted to date you. You picture yourself strolling around the quad, hand in hand, the envy of all the other teens. True love at thirteen. Of course, you could never tell them how you feel... If only you could say it in song.

Things I'll Never Say - Avril Lavigne

I'm staring at my feet

My cheeks are turning red

I'm searching for the words inside my head

'Cause I'm feeling nervous

Trying to be so perfect

'Cause I know you're worth it

You're worth it

Yeah

The "First Date": Perhaps a blindingly obvious choice, but Blink said it all. I remember my first 'date'. Which at fourteen basically equated to being allowed to spend an hour alone with a boy in the middle of the day in a very public space where there was slim to no chance of anything scandalous happening. We might have held hands if I remember correctly... Still, in the lead up I was a ball of nerves meets excitement playing this song on repeat.

First Date - Blink 182

Do you like my stupid hair?

Would you guess that I didn't know what to wear?

I'm just scared of what you'll think

You make me nervous so I really can't eat

The "Rejection": You finally muster up the courage to tell your crush how you feel only to have them send you right back into the friend zone where you belong. It's time to go home and lick your wounds. You'll never let yourself be vulnerable again. If only you could turn back time! You need an appropriately melancholy song to play on repeat while you relive your embarrassment over and over in your head.

The Scientist - Coldplay

Nobody said it was easy

No one ever said it would be this hard

Oh, take me back to the start

The "First Relationship": You've done it. Success. You can finally, officially say those words - "I have a boyfriend". You beat out every other girl - you're the one he chose. Your confidence is at an all-time high, nothing can beat this feeling of euphoria. Sure, to observers you might be floating around in a love bubble, but behind closed doors, you just want to brag.

Misery Business - Paramore

But God, does it feel so good

'Cause I got him where I want him now

And if you could, then you know you would

'Cause God it just feels so

It just feels so good

The "First Heartbreak": And just like that, it was over before it really began. You're nursing your first real broken heart. You'll probably never love again. It was the most intense three weeks of your teenage life, and you'll never get over it. You were special and different and meant to last. It wasn't fair. Someone has to have felt this immense pain before, and have written a song about it...

The Special Two - Missy Higgins

And we will only need each other, we'll bleed together

Our hands would not be taught to hold another's

'Cause we're the special two

The "Bounce Back": You remember that you're a strong independent woman who doesn't need a man to define her. You need a proper diss track to jam to and reaffirm your worth. This becomes your anthem, and you're determined to stick to it. I mean, until the next cute guy comes along...

Independent Women - Destiny's Child

All the women, who are independent

Throw your hands up at me

All the honeys, who making money

Throw your hands up at me

The "Fight with your Bestie": This is an inevitable teenage rite of passage. You're growing up, there are boys, there are hormones, there are new friends, there are changing interests and you and your bestie aren't joined at the hip like you used to be. Obviously, you can't look at it with that kind of objective wisdom, so you just feel betrayed. And dammit if you won't find a song to fuel that fire.

There's no "I" in Team - Taking Back Sunday

Wearing your black eye like a badge of honor

Soaking in sympathy

From friends who never loved you

Nearly half as much as me

The "Mean Girls": Or any other bully who decided it was their life's mission to make yours a living hell. You need a song that says everything you're too terrified to say out loud. But if life was a musical, and you needed a showstopper to take that bully down through song, then this would be your ballad.

Megalomaniac - Incubus

But if I met you in a scissor fight

I'd cut off both your wings on principle, alone

Principle, alone

Hey, megalomaniac

You're no Jesus, yeah, you're no fucking Elvis

Wash your hands clean of yourself, baby

And step down, step down

The "First Party": It's finally happening. Your first real party. Your parents will not be there and you are going to get drunk for the first time. You might even be really reckless and make out with someone you hardly know. But you know for sure you're going to dance the night away with your friends and have the time of your life. And you are SO oblivious to how rotten you are going to feel tomorrow.

Can't Stop - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Can't stop addicted to the shindig

Chop top he says I'm gonna win big

Choose not a life of imitation

Distant cousin to the reservation

The "Rebel Without a Cause": You've got a taste for it now. So you go a little wild. Another weekend, another party. No regard for the consequences of your actions. You feel like a grown-up and decide to prove as much by acting like more of a brat than you did when you were a toddler. But you only live once, so who cares?

Prisoner of Society - The Living End

Well we don't need no one to tell us what to do

Oh yes we're on our own and there's nothing you can do

So we don't need no one like you

To tell us what to do

The "First Time": Regrets. At least for me. Mine was a "let's see what all the fuss is about" kind of first time. But, such is teenage life. All you can do is wallow alone in your self-pity because you don't want the "I told you so" lecture from your friends who told you that boy was bad news. Luckily, it's a mistake a lot of teenagers make, so finding your anthem is pretty easy.

White Houses - Vanessa Carlton

And you, maybe you'll remember me

What I gave is yours to keep

In white houses

The "Older, Wiser Breakup": It hurts, you didn't want it to be over, but you can move forward with the pain and an appreciation of what was. You're starting to realise that nothing is permanent in these teenage years. Still, you've got a broken heart and a little hope that things might still work out. So you keep your secret, put on your poker face, and drown your sorrows in a sappy love ballad.

The Only Exception - Paramore

I've got a tight grip on reality

But I can't let go of what's in front of me here

I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up

Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

The "Graduate": You made it. You survived the teenage years. It's bittersweet, satisfying and scary all at once. You're about to embark on the next chapter and you have no idea what that looks like. You're reflecting on what might have been the best years of your life. Maybe being a teenager wasn't so bad after all...

Good Riddance - Green Day

It's something unpredictable

But in the end it's right

I hope you had the time of your life

Sigh... The nostalgia. You can listen to the playlist below: