Teen Mental Health in a Busy World
We are living in a time when the world is changing at such a fast pace, and it is our teens who are suffering. As a teacher I have witnessed a shift or change in how teens are managing stress and overwhelm. At the young age of 12, I worry that there are more and more students who have anxiety and/or depression and have had suicidal thoughts.
It is of my opinion that they are not equipped to deal with stress or challenges which they face. I believe that mental health or self care should be a subject at school to help them to look after themselves. It is our responsibility to teach, support and empower them to find tools which suit their individual needs.
The constant busyness is ruining their ability to just be in the present. There is limited time spent on just chilling or doing something fun when a lot of their time is spent on homework, school work or arranged activities. I truly believe that young people have limited experiences in free play, creativity, and imagination. They are always plugged in or busy in their mind.
I often see resistance when students are asked to sit in silence or do meditation or just be with themselves as this is what is truly challenging. We avoid from being with ourselves if we don’t love ourselves. And whats so important is ensuring teens truly feel happy in their own skin, know their values and beliefs as they grow up to become a woman. If we avoid, this is only going to delay growth and transformation.
As a parent now, I believe the world is becoming harder and harder to have a strong sense of self and mental health as there are so many distractions and things to keep us busy. To have conscious and deep conversations are sometimes missed due to the busy events. I would encourage parents to have a one-to-one conversation once a week in a special way e.g. a special walk, a coffee date or an activity that the teen has chosen.
Although they don’t want to be treated as a child, because they are gaining their own independence, they still require that nurturing attention that they crave so they feel validated, loved and comforted. This is one of the main challenges as the balance is tricky to navigate. As parents we must allow them to fly out of the nest and we just hope they will learn their lessons without too many bruises and grazes. Unfortunately that is part of the learning and growth process as without challenges or problems, they will not learn resilience and be able to pick themselves up and move on from their issues.