life skills for teens - four teenagers sitting on wooden steps

Understanding the Mental Health of teens

July 3, 2020

One of the most underrated facts in the world at the moment is mental health, given the fast-paced digitisation. A well off mental state helps in the development of the strength to cope with the difficulties in life. This also helps them become responsible adults. The biggest challenge that working parents face nowadays is the lack of time to spend with their kids. This is a major reason for mental health issues at an immature age.

I think it’s safe to say that nobody expected 2020 to turn out the way it has so far. Whilst adults are feeling the pressures regarding homeschooling, working from home, financial implications and not to forget the overall health concern. It is important that we are communicating with our children about the situation and doing what we can to guide them through the emotions of life in lockdown. Away from their social circle and life as they knew it.

In order to have sound mental health of teens the following points must be noted by the parents:

Indicators of mental deterioration

Popular research has shown that kids who are a victim of bullying, abuse, or body shaming have often shown these symptoms. These are things that might look fairly normal in everyday life but actually tear apart a kid from inside and pose as a major hindrance to the growth of the child. A major issue that affects the mental health of teens is bad parental relationships, witnessing domestic violence, and violent behaviour of parents towards their kids.

Creating peaceful spaces

These are some key incidents regularly observed by popular sociologists and mental health experts while digging on the issues related to children’s mental health. Mental health is an aspect of human health that has been ignored for a long time. As a 21st-century urban adult, anyone can decipher the agonies of the fast-paced world and its effect on the mental peace and stability of individuals. So in order to move towards a peaceful and empathetic world, the change should begin at home every parent must take necessary actions to be mentally fit so as to raise up mentally well off kids.

Mental health of teens - A girl in a blue shirt leans against a pole

Need for therapy

The major glitch in this area is about the fact that therapy has been treated as a resort that is helpful only to “mad’ people. This is an ethically disturbing and uncouth way of making judgments. This is a vile way of judgment. One must remember that we all are humans, who are regarded as the most intelligent of the lifeforms. The chief factor which distinguishes humans from the brutes is compassion, love, empathy, and care.

external factors

Proper schooling is very important. While choosing a school the parents must remember that the chosen school should be one which works on the mental well being of their pupils. It is of utmost importance to pay attention to the children when the parents notice unusual behaviour in them. These might be small incidents and instances like when they are not willing to eat or are scared to go to school, they display unusual anger, etc.

Preventive measures

Good physical health is very important. This includes a nutritious and balanced diet, having time to exercise and play. This builds a strong immune system and also adds to a sound mind. Spending quality time with family. Take part in activities. This will not only help in being mindful and anchored but also help the children in finding their passion.

Mental health of teens - teen sitting on sofa with MacBook

Being a teenager at home during the lockdown

Being a teenager can be difficult enough under ‘normal’ circumstances, but throw in a pandemic and you are really testing their resolve, their emotions and their fight or flight response. With a teenager at home during the lockdown, I have seen first hand the rollercoaster of emotions that you can feel you are navigating. One of the ways we have been helping Roo through her time at home has been with the help of Teen Calm.

Teen Calm

Teen Calm is a brave new subscription box filled with passion and purpose. With the aim to show every teenager out there that they’re not alone. No matter what battle you’re fighting, Teen Calm has got your back. We’re all different and beautiful people – but we need to learn how to take better care of ourselves. Teen Calm is here to encourage self-care, lift spirits, build confidence, and bring a rainbow of colour to your teen’s life.

teen calm subscription box with products

Meet the Teen Calm Creators

Teen Calm is a new subscription service that has been created by the mother and daughter team – Cathy and Freya – and it’s run from their home in the Midlands. Each subscription box will provide a supply of goodies and offer a warm, welcoming, safe space where teenagers can establish a self-care routine, learn how to self-regulate, introduce calmness into their lives, enjoy a hefty serving of happiness and self-love, and even rediscover their lost confidence by finding their tribe.

How you can help teens through the lockdown

Tips for parents, and carers, to help keep things under control include:

  • Be honest about what’s going on, but without going into too much detail.
  • Quickly establish a new routine, or if your child is still going into school, ask the school to establish one, and be clear that it’s important for no sudden changes to be made.
  • Keep as much constant as possible. Although it may not seem important that a particular drink is drunk at a certain time, there is little enough stability to hold on to at the moment, so stick to what your child knows.
  • Make a visual timetable, tailored to your child and stick to this every day.
  • Relax your usual screen time rules, especially if this is one of your child’s means of self-soothing.
  • Create a social story to help your child process all of this change (there are some examples in the home education resources).
  • Be even more patient than normal!

The world may seem as if it has gone slightly bonkers, but what our children are going to remember about 2020, is not news reports or empty shelves in the supermarket but their time at home with us.

Teen Calm Box with notebook pin badge and toiletries

This is exactly why emotional tangles and disturbances must be treated in a way that takes into account the harsh effects of it on the daily life of an individual. When it comes to tackling the mental health of the kids the parents must take some extra care to understand their traumas and terrors so that they grow up to be mentally and physically fit individuals. So do take a step forward and make some extra effort to give kids a better future and a fulfilling life. This is a crucial requirement in understanding the mental health of children.

Win a Teen Calm Mystery Box

To help your teen with their mental wellbeing during this time, we are lucky enough to have a Teen Calm Mystery Box to giveaway.

Prize: A Teen Calm Mystery Box (winner to select gender/age)

To enter complete the Gleam widget below, all entries are optional and each one completed will gain you more entries into the random draw.

Teen Calm Mystery Box

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