With hormones and developing brains, teenagers often feel an intense amount of stress. Although it’s easy to forget sometimes in our busy lives, we were all teenagers once! Being a teenager is challenging. They have chaotic schedules and pressures at school. They’re navigating the world and trying to find the bridge between being a child and an adult. It’s not an easy task! As parents and guardians, it’s always worth taking a few minutes to consider how your teenager may be suffering from stress and work out some simple, positive ways to help them cope and thrive!
Consider these top tips on how to deal with stress in your teenagers:
- Create routines. Teenagers thrive on stability. Something as simple as a routine can create rhythm in the household and instill a sense of calm into their life. Teenagers can be unpredictable, with hormones and mood swings wreaking havoc on their feelings and behavior, so simple routines can help them feel safe and let them recognize familiarity. Try to maintain certain routines. Get your teenager to wake up at a certain time, stick to a sleep schedule, and encourage them to fulfill their commitments and chores. The sense of stability will help to calm and stabilize them.
2. Set aside down time. Find time in the day to sit down with your teenager and talk about the day. Make time to discuss their thoughts and feelings and engage in their interests. During this quality time, avoid using your phones and stay away from screens. Find out what may be concerning to your teenager and focus on the art of conversation. In a world where young people are constantly socializing or working on school assignments, it’s important to schedule some down time where they can do nothing, they do not have to fill every moment with something to do.
3. Engage in enjoyable activities. Find something that you and your teenager enjoy. Pick up a new hobby together or play board games. Go for walks or even cook together, or something they choose. We all spend so much of our time glued to screens and social media, why not engage in activities together that involve socializing, exercising, or just enjoying something new?
4. Stay healthy. Encouraging your young teenager to fuel their body is crucial to their wellbeing. Reduce their stress by ensuring that you cook healthy meals for them full of nutrition and goodness. Sleep is crucial too! Making sure that your teenager has enough sleep is crucial to both their mental development and their physical wellbeing. A good night’s sleep will refresh and revive them for whatever they may face next! Remember that teenagers have different sleep rhythms and may go to bed later and sleep in, allow this time so they can feel supported.
You can’t read your teenager’s mind. What you can do, however, is offer support. Ensure they have a stable routine, eat healthy foods, and get enough sleep. Crucially, ensure that they have time to talk to you, without judgement, about anything that is troubling them, so you can help reduce their stress!
Best of luck!
Christina