5 SELF-CARE TIPS FOR TEENS

I have been an educator for over 14 years and I must admit, working with teens is not easy and raising them is even harder. As a parent you want nothing but the best for your children but unfortunately you can’t solve every problem for them and oftentimes you are unaware of each and every single issue they face. How does your teenager cope with stress? Are you confident that they have tools and systems in place to manage their frustrations, anxiety, or trauma? This is where self-care comes in! Self-care is essential for everyone and your teenager is no different. Knowing when and how to provide your body with the care it needs to remain healthy is challenging for a young maturing teen, but it doesn’t have to be. Your mind and body requires time to recharge and reset. I am so excited to share these helpful tips with you. Here are five self-care strategies to offer your growing teen. 

1. Detox from social media.

Encourage your teen to take a short hiatus from all social media. How much time is totally up to your teen. If this poses as a huge challenge, remind your teen that even good things (if overdone) can be harmful. We take breaks from work, school, foods, fun, even spending…and social media is no different.

Start with a short break (perhaps a few hours) then work up to a full day or several days. My students are glued to their devices…good luck with this one parents! 

2. Get 8 hours of sleep.

Even as a teenager the body and mind are still evolving. The amount of energy needed for their growing bodies to physically and emotionally develop requires hours of rest to sustain them.

The brain of a teenager is also under a massive influx of development — allowing for more mature reasoning and enhanced decision-making skills. 

Furthermore, teens today are under a great deal of stress: balancing core classes, elective classes, sports and other extracurricular activities, part-time jobs and the pressure of post-secondary educational requirements. Let’s not forget the added pressures from their homes, personal lives, as well as within their communities and society.

3. Find a positive output for stress.

Stress is a natural element of life. Too much stress can lead to significant problems including anxiety, eating disorders, insomnia, hair loss, and even major health deficits. 

Encourage your teen to explore positive ways in which they can relieve stress including: exercising, dancing, reading, journaling, listening to music or fostering their creative and artistic skills.

4. Cut off negative habits/people.

Teach your teen NOT to entertain negativity. The ability to focus our energy on things that deserve and require our attention is a skill that must be learned and sharpened. Our time, energy, love, and friendship are sacred and should be treated as such…not abused or taken for granted.

Do not confuse cutting off negativity with avoidance. It is important to understand the difference between running away from your problems versus making an intentional decision to refuse to fester in negative things and (or) negative people.

Help your teen practice this skill by challenging him or her to remove negative habits and negative people from their lives. Parents, you should model this behavior by guarding your own sacred spaces as well.

5. Do not self-medicate.

Indulging in risky behaviors — such as recreational drugs, alcohol, and promiscuous sex, just to name a few — to alleviate symptoms of mental distress, anxiety, stress, or trauma can lead to addictive behaviors. 

Additionally, it doesn’t teach your teen how to use the tools needed to face those issues head on (which is the gateway to healing).

Like what you just read? If you enjoyed this post and would like to see more like it, drop a comment below! 

Don’t forget to like and share!

In case you were wondering…Josh successfully graduated from high school despite the personal challenges he was experiencing! I was so proud of him and so were his other teachers!

XOXO – Sophie