Teaching Resiliency To Teens During Tough Times
As adults, we can fall into the trap of idealizing childhood. It’s easy to feel nostalgic and think about “the good ol’ days” as if childhood and adolescence were actually easy. Adolescence is extremely difficult! For children who have experienced trauma in the form of abuse, bullying, neglect, or other physical and emotional pain, it can be especially difficult. Preparing teens for the future means that we have to look beyond nostalgia and address the issues at hand.
One of the key factors in determining how a child will develop throughout their teen years is their resiliency. Resiliency is the ability to bounce back after facing difficult or traumatic situations. When children and teens realize their ability and their worth, they develop resiliency and are able to overcome difficult circumstances and come out stronger on the other side.
If your teen is struggling in the face of adversity and you are concerned that they might not bounce back well, you may need to change their environment. While some people are born with a more resilient nature, others are not. Thankfully, resiliency can also be taught. If you are looking for help for struggling teens, consider a therapeutic boarding school where the students are enveloped in a positive atmosphere with access to trained therapists.
Tips For Teaching Resilience To Teens
Resiliency can be developed throughout our lives. If you are trying to teach teens life skills like resiliency, stay focused on the positive and help them learn strategies that can be used for years to come. Here are a few tips for teaching resiliency to your teen or tween:
Teach proper self-care Self-care is often discussed with ideas like taking a luxurious bath or indulging in food that we might not normally eat. Proper self-care is much more than that. It’s taking a break when we get overwhelmed. It’s eating healthy food and getting enough sleep and exercise to have more energy to face each day. You can help your teen learn to bounce back from everyday stresses and challenges by learning how to take care of themselves both physically and emotionally.
Encourage a positive view of self Teen self-esteem can reach an especially low point if they are facing problems with their peers. If you find that your teen has a negative view of themself, have them identify their positive characteristics. Teens and tweens who have a more positive view of their own self-worth are able to bounce back from struggles more easily.
Help them set SMART goals SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Setting smaller SMART goals can help teens get through challenging circumstances. By breaking down a larger problem into smaller more manageable chunks, teens learn how to see their goals as achievable rather than being overwhelmed by them.
Encourage positive connections When teens and tweens have positive social connections in their lives, they are more likely to overcome difficult circumstances. Teen self-esteem is connected to the value that they feel from their friends. When teens have positive social connections, they are more likely to rely on those connections in difficult times and come out stronger on the other end.
As parents, it’s important to realize that the struggles our kids face these days are different from what we went through. The teenage years come with many trials, and it’s imperative that teenagers learn how to face those trials head-on and come through them. By teaching teens life skills to face and overcome struggles, we are empowering them to become competent and successful adults.
If your teenage son responds poorly when something unexpected happens in life, you may need to help him develop more resiliency. Resiliency does not come naturally to everyone, and some people struggle to learn resiliency skills. If you find yourself overwhelmed by trying to help your struggling teen learn these skills, you may need to find professional help.
By surrounding their students with a positive atmosphere and a variety of life-skills classes, Sundance Canyon Academy intentionally teaches resilience skills to their students. Students participate in classes like culinary arts, life skills, and service-learning. By learning a variety of skills and developing positive relationships, students are more prepared for anything life might throw at them. Contact us today with any questions about how we can help teach your son how to deal with life’s challenges.