"My life is over", "I have no future", "What is the worth of trying, I am going to fail anyway", "Nobody understands me" and so on...Chances that you have heard these words are very high if you are a parent of a teenager.
It was noticed that being a teenager now is much harder than in 80s and 90s. These days even adults are overwhelmed with unstoppable flood of information, continuous exposure and unrealistic expectations.
Would’t be great to guide our teens and prepare them for the independent life ahead! Have you observed anxiety in your teen? Is she/he closing down and not willing to share how they feel and what’s happening in their lives? Do they seem more distant and irritable than ever before? Do they seem to have little or no interest in doing things they have enjoyed before? Do they ever feel hopeless or even not willing to carry on?
There are several key factors contributing to anxiety in teens:
Hormones - can create anxiety for no obvious reason. Teens are still learning how to navigate through their hormonal changes and emotional roller coaster that comes with it.
Family problems affect teens as they are trying to understand and cope with unhealthy situations. Often times they feel guilty in parents’ divorce. They are trying to be loyal and keep good relationships with both parents. Even worse they might be dealing with a loss of a parent.
Social media - teens are constantly comparing appearance, material possessions, and personal experience to experience of others. Fear of being judged, as well as fear of missing out. SM creates an illusion of being connected, while in reality it creates more profound distance and feelings of loneliness and depression.
High expectations from parents, school, society
Peer pressure, lack of confidence and low self esteem, desire to be accepted, and fear of rejection.
How to help your teen:
Create a structure within your household the best you can. Lead by example - demonstrate a routine of your daily activities and invite your teen to join some of them.
Invite healthy eating habits. Consuming fresh nutritious food helps to fulfil vitamins and minerals much needed for growing bodies.
Grow your emotional connection and trust with your kid. Practice active non-judgmental listening, allow them to talk and express their emotions and feelings. Display compassion or simple understanding.
Encourage them to journal - it helps to organise their thoughts and ability to verbalise it.
Quality time without TV and any sorts of gadgets and electronic devices. Go for a long walk, tell them stories about your childhood, maybe share some challenges that you had to face and how you went through them.
You are not alone! We are here to support you and your teens! Our Teen Mindfulness Group is here to provide your kid with tool to Mindful living! We are working together of building strong, trusting, inclusive relationships. Through the movements of yoga practice, gentle breathing techniques, introduction to meditation and most definitely creative art work where they can freely express themselves and reconnect to their intuition and inner wisdom!
Our next session begins in December, 2022. The schedule will be established soon!
Send your emails to anika@anikaloveyoga.com to learn more.