Overcoming Teen Stress With Teen Counseling in Salt Lake City, UT
What is Teen Stress?
IS your teen stressed out? Would you recognize it if They were?
Stress is now commonly recognized as one of the leading causes of physical and mental health issues for both adults and teens. For teens, life can be particularly stressful as they figure out how to manage academic expectations, and relationships with friends and family, and maintain their personal appearance and social lives. The patterns of stress management they learn in response to these stresses will establish a framework for how they will manage their adult life stresses.
As a parent, your first priority will be to recognize that your teen is stressed and then to teach them to manage that stress or find help with teen counseling. Notice I did not say completely eliminate stress. Learning how to manage and deal with less-than-ideal situations builds resiliency and prepares your child for the real world. There is a balance you are looking for that does not include rescuing your child every time things get tough.
Signs of Stress in Teens
If your teen is dealing with two or more of the following common sources of stress, most likely they are feeling overwhelmed.
academic expectations
family expectations
family conflict
family transition
social conflict
unresolved historical trauma–physical, verbal, or sexual abuse, death of parent or sibling, high-conflict divorce.
Other Indicators of Stress in Your Teen
In addition to the presence of obvious stressors in your teen’s life, you can also watch for the presence of 3 or more of these indicators that your teen is suffering from stress (Note that these can also be standard teen developmental behaviors, and can be caused by other factors as well, so please see these as areas to investigate but not worry too much about. )
inability to sleep
irritability
lack of flexibility
withdrawal from friends or family
procrastination
intense reaction to a grade lower than expected
persistent use of drugs or alcohol
Once it is clear that your teen is indeed stressed, you will want to help your teen learn to manage their stress. In order to keep stress management from becoming another stressor, both parents and teens must be gentle and forgiving of themselves and of each other during difficult times. This gentleness that we exemplify to our teens will help them learn how to manage stress.
Remember that you can support your teen with their stress habits by managing your own stress and discussing the topic of stress with them. Do they see you when you are stressed? Do you let them see how you manage your stress? Do you tell them what decisions you have made that were specifically guided by the value of having less stress in your life?
Here Are Some Additional Considerations for supporting Your Stressed Teen
Do they have downtime to just hang out? Look at their daily schedule and help them find time to unwind.
Is your teen having fun with others? Encourage them to spend time with friends.
How active are they? Exercise or creative endeavors are shown to reduce stress.
Discuss your expectations with them. Find out what they think you expect of them and correct any distortions.
What are their personal expectations of themself? Help them to set realistic goals and manage them.
While all adults and teens would do well to rein in their busy schedules and relax, the demands of school, work, and daily life can make stress seem unavoidable. No matter how hard families try to keep it at bay, stress often slips back in. Clearly, stress management is a skill that must be consistently cultivated and developed in order to remain effective. Discover how a skilled teen therapist at Shade Tree Family Counseling can help.
Start Helping Your Teen Cope With Stress With The Help of Teen Counseling in Salt Lake City, UT!
Is your teen struggling to cope with stress? Don't let them navigate these challenges alone. Reach out to our experienced teen counseling services and empower your teen with the tools and support they need to thrive. Work together with us at Shade Tress Family Counseling to ensure a brighter and healthier future for your teen. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if Teen Counseling is right for your teen
Begin meeting with a skilled teen therapist
Start seeing your teen overcome stress!
Other Services Offered at Shade Tree Family Counseling
At Shade Tree Family Counseling, we want to provide support for the whole family. So in addition to helping your teen with their anxiety, depression, and more in teen counseling, our team offers EMDR-Trauma Therapy for those struggling to overcome past trauma and want to begin healing, and Teen Group Therapy for teens looking for extra support from those their own age. For more about teen counseling check out our blog!