Teen struggles
Teenagers are one off the most misunderstood people.
They are treated like children and expected to act like adults.
What struggling feels like as a:
TEEn
Being a teen can be like riding a roller coaster, joyful highs that quickly plunge into dramatic lows, with unexpected twists and turns. Between difficult peer relationships, school pressure, mood fluctuations, and solidifying a sense of self (identity), keeping yourself on the track can be exhausting.
Middle and high school are already filled with stressful expected changes, which makes the unexpected ones even harder to cope with, like divorce, loss of a loved one, moving, crushing expectations and breakups. All these changes force adaptation, which can be hard when you feel alone, unheard, or misunderstood. Sometimes this builds up resentment and acting more reactive with you parents or friends, maybe even leading to you to do or say things that you feel are not really you and you can spiral.
Having a safe space for a nonjudgmental dump of frustrations, worries, fears, pressures, and expectations can be the relief and release you need to slow things down and figure out what to do next.
PARENt
Parenting a teen can feel daunting. As these young adults traverse the unknown so do you along side them, trying to figure out ways to connect and create some type of common language.
As their lives change, finding common ground becomes more difficult and challenges your relationship with them. This tension can lead to conflict, frustration, anger, miscommunication, arguments, saying things that you don't mean, doing things that you have said that you wouldn't. Taking care of our own emotions while also protecting and trying to understand your teens emotions can be overwhelming and exhausting.
Our role on this journey with your family, is to help identify these breakdowns in communication and connection and help create a new understanding and a plan for the people you are today. We are all doing this life for the first time, but that doesn't mean that we have to do it alone.
Common feelings from parents
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Guilty
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Confused
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Disconnected
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Frustrated
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Overwhelmed
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Worried
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Unappreciated
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Discouraged
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Stressed
Teenage years come with unique developmental challenges for your teen, but also for you. As your child matures and grows, what they need from your evolves and your role in their life changes based on their needs. Keeping track of what they need and where they are can be difficult. You might find yourself saying "what did I do wrong, I don't get it","I don't know what else to do","I feel stuck."
Common feelings from Teens
overwhelmed
self doubt, self comparison, negative thinking, lack of self worth or self confidence, self harm, over or under eating "why am I like this?", "I'm not good enough?"
difficulty making or keeping friends, hopelessness, isolation, feeling misunderstood or unheard "no one understands", "I don't have the energy", "nothing will change"
overthinking, fear, anxiousness, difficulty doing daily activities, feeling unsafe, anxiety, paralyzed, avoidance, sweating, fast heart rate, shaking, hiding "I can't stop thinking about it", "but what if..."
despair, lack of energy, heavy feeling, dark thoughts "It will never be the same", "I can't let go"
numb, lack of feeling, acting out, disregard for others feelings or rules, lack of responsibility and accountability, argumentative, risky behavior "I don't feel anything", "who cares", "you don't understand"
feeling lost, identity crisis, feeling out of place, misunderstood, stress, difficulty with boundaries "I don't belong", "I don't know what I want to do in my future"
panic, overthinking, anxiousness, heavy expectations, over or under preparing, avoidance, nervous ticks (picking, tapping leg, nail biting), paralyzed, over or under sleeping or eating, feeling out of control, stuck, hopeless, isolating "Its too much", "I can't take it anymore", "I can't stop thinking about it", "but what if"
frustration, argumentative, defensive, irritated, feeling out of control, lack of control, guilt, disappointment "I can't control it"
procrastination, lack of energy, feeling stuck "I don't have the energy", "It's hard to motivate myself to do things that I don't like"
