For a stressed-out teen, lifelong stress-management practices might include DBT techniques, yoga, moderate daily exercise, dietary adjustments (favoring whole, unprocessed foods including fruits and vegetables), meditation, time-management skills, and—of course—keeping a pet!
Many experts agree that the negative effects of anger can be minimized by addressing the emotion in an honest, non-reactive manner. While ranting and raging tend to actually increase, rather than alleviate, anger (according to some studies), the healthy expression of anger can actually reduce its intensity and keep it from festering. In fact, the healthy communication of your full range of emotions—including anger—can be a critical part of your difficult teen’s healing process.
Along with the primary effects that may come with learning differences, secondary effects may occur such as low self-esteem, depression, social isolation, anger, low school performance, and so forth. Sometimes these secondary effects mask the primary issue—a learning disability.
By the time a parent suspects that their child’s use of screen-based technology is excessive, it generally is! At this point, a parent needs to know, believe, and understand they are in charge—even if the child is an adolescent or a young adult living dependently at home.
Like any crisis, a mental health emergency—whether depression, violence, self-harm, psychosis or addiction—is generally symptomatic of a deeper, more pervasive dysfunction. Our tendency with family mental health emergencies, though, is to just treat the symptoms and—once those are addressed—get on with living the same life that caused those symptoms in the first place.
For parents of older teens struggling with behavioral or emotional problems, that teen’s 18th birthday may come to represent some terrifying realities. Many parents fear a loss of parental control; or the symbolic and actual loss of their “little girl,†or “little boy;†or loss of legal guardianship and the modicum of protection that comes along with it.
When we are motivated to be involved in relationships we’re being driven to something that creates some of the most joy and peace in life: connectedness. Most of us want to connect and most of us want to be accepted by others. We just need to channel our efforts to meet these needs in a healthy direction. That’s what we aim for with enmeshed relationships at Sunrise, to redirect relational energy in a direction that will bring out the most peace, connection, and growth possible.
Those in enmeshed relationships are often the last to see it. But with awareness you can start to recognize some of the signs: 1. If you cannot not tell the difference between your own emotions and those of a person with whom you have a relationship. 2. If you feel like you need to rescue someone from their emotions. 3. If you feel like you need someone else to rescue you from your own emotions. 4. If you and another person do not have any personal emotional time and space.
If you suspect your child might be suffering from an emotional problem such as chronic depression (dysthymia), major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder or any of the several types of depression, alert your mental health provider (preferably one with experience diagnosing and treating teens) immediately.
Following are some strategies that can help you make your way through this challenging time without being overwhelmed by its seeming enormity. These four simple strategies will help you with two critical tasks: learning to take better care of yourself and embracing hope—i.e. knowing that somehow, things will get better.
