Stress certainly has an impact on our health, however for teenagers the more immediate signs of stress show up in their behaviors and actions.
In order to cope many kids turn to drugs, alcohol, promiscuous sexual behaviors, defiant actions toward parents, teachers, and other adults, and unfortunately some have chosen suicide.
So what's a parent to do when they begin to notice how stressed their teen is? Usually a parent will begin to notice how on edge their teen is when they see how irritable they become with...
well, just about everything.
Many parents decide to dismiss it as normal growing pains and while this might be true, you must look for balance.
If your child is more often irritable than happy and fun loving, they are most likely experiencing stress and anxiety in their lives.
The best thing a parent can do is to alleviate the stress by taking action to help their teen shift their perspective.
Most kids suffer from stress because of a limited perspective.
By focusing their thoughts in a more positive direction as soon as the on-set of stress rears its ugly head in your household, you help to take the intensity of life down several notches.
Here are 3 simple, yet effective tips to reduce the stress your teen may be experiencing in his or her life.
1.
Encourage them to get outside and play more often.
With so much going on in our ever increasingly busy lives time seems to be slipping right from our grips.
Parents are finding it more and more difficult to manage all that has to be done in their own lives and they are beginning to see the same trend with their teenagers.
I know many teenagers that don't even get out to enjoy nature because they have so much on their to-do list.
Make it okay for your teen to work less, taking the focus off of having to perform so much in school and everywhere else.
We are human-beings, not human-doings.
Furthermore, be a model of this type of lifestyle yourself.
When your kids see that you know how to live a balanced life, making time to play in nature just as important as your career, they will see that it is not only possible, but it is a much more enjoyable way to live.
2.
Avoid talking about the negativity of news and world events.
Yes we are living in a time of change and a lot of chaos seems to be happening in every area of the world.
While all of this is happening, human beings are being forced to contemplate the larger meaning of what life is about and the type of world they want to live in.
The news rarely ever talks about the positive changes that are happening in our world.
Explain to your teen that with the darkness there must come light.
We are empathetic beings that pick up on the emotional energy of those around us.
Fear is a very powerful and debilitating emotion.
Teenagers look around at the world and see it as hopeless because that is what the major media is projecting.
When world events come up at the dinner table, focus on the positive that is coming about with each situation.
Every situation brings out the good in people if you look to find it.
Use heartfelt words such as appreciation, gratitude, compassion, assistance, contribution, and support to show them how people all over the world are reacting to these incidents in uplifting ways rather than using words that bring in the feelings of fear and hopelessness.
This will help to shift their perspective of the world in which they live.
3.
Teach your teen to trust the process of life.
I'm sure if you look back at your life, you will find times in which you were afraid and uncertain.
However, you will notice how everything seemed to work out in the end and through those experiences, you learned many valuable lessons about yourself that made you who you are today.
Explain to your teen that they cannot fail at life.
Today's teens are so worried about making the wrong choices and failing that they often refuse to take any action towards what they really want in their lives.
Explain to them that when they follow their heart, the way will be put before them even if they don't have all the answers in this moment.
Teenagers want to do the right thing and are looking for guidance and reassurance that they are on the right track.
By having them shift their perspective, a whole new world opens up for them, allowing the stress to subside.
Remember to focus on having fun by going out to play, recognize the beauty and kindness of humanity by pointing out how we support one another during difficult times, and encourage them to trust life by taking action toward their dreams.
These 3 simple changes in attitude will lighten up the intensity your teen feels about life in general.
When your perspective changes, your life changes!