Teenagers may ward off unwanted stress by adopting a healthy lifestyle, learning people and social skills, with the help and support of their parents, says AK Mishra
Demands of freedom and immense peer pressure put teenagers on a collision course with their parents and well-wishers. Where teenagers thoughts and imaginations are feeding their high-headedness, parents want their kids to be more sensible and act maturely at this age.
Parents expect teens to be coherent and organic in their approach to build a successful and promising future. But while pursuing their dreams and meeting their parents’ unrealistic expectations, they fall prey to modern lifestyle disorders like depression and anxiety, so it won’t be an exaggeration to say that teens nowadays are walking a tightrope of pressure and discomfort, and it becomes imperative for the parents to figure out the ways to ease off their pressure caused due to scores of unavoidable factors including cut-throat competition, educational, emotional and social challenges.
Parents can play a pivotal role in bringing down unnatural anxiety level of their wards by spending quality time and lending a helping hand in hours of crisis. This also provides parents ample opportunities to unveil their wards’ behavioural and thinking patterns. Simply put, teens may ward off unwanted stress by adopting healthy lifestyles, learning people and social skills and with the help and support of their parents that may be summarised as followed.
Parents should be more aware
Teenagers’ knowledge about most careers and their occupational aspirations are heavily influenced by their geographic location, the occupation of their parents, their socio-economic status and their relationship with their parents along with their general awareness. Therefore, parents who keep abreast with latest technologies, career trends, business, and employment can help their children prepare for better occupation, keeping in mind teenagers’ areas of interest.
Engage in outdoor activities
Sedentary mode of life also heightens teen pressure level. So engaging in activities that foster or promote physical and mental health like yoga, sports or even walking can exponentially bring down the stress levels and help teens stay fit, which in turn reduces anxiety, depression and negative thoughts while rejuvenating the body and opening up the mind to learn new things.
Do things that make you happy
Teenagers should try to explore new things and indulge in activities which make them feel good. This could be going for an outing with friends, listening to music, having a conversation with parents, going out for movies, or anything that brings joy to them. At the time of stress, these activities actually help them keep calm and find clarity in their approach to life.
Idolise and converse
Although for a teenager, it is natural to disbelieve that anyone else is more intelligent than him/her at this tender age, but believing this fact can actually help them lessen their unwarranted vexation and can help them make healthy choices in life. An idol could be anyone: A teacher, elder sister or brother, or parents. They may be able to help teens explore new opportunities in life that may excite them and help reduce their stress level.
Appreciate your strengths
Although parents are the most efficient tool to boost teenagers’ morale, kids should also discover their skills and hidden qualities. They should focus on what they think they are good at. Time to time appreciation by parents helps them understand and hone their skills effectively. Appreciation by parents reinforces their belief in their inner and hidden capabilities. It can bring about substantial changes in the development and overall personality grooming.
The writer is the founder and director of Art of Success