Spring Fever and Stress: What Your Teen is Feeling and Not Telling You
The Spring semester is here, and your tween and teen are starting to feel every second of the school year. For many kids, this is when standardized tests pop up, end of the year assessments are weighted as a big percentage of the semester grades, after school practices start to kick into full gear, friend groups can feel flakey, and maintaining a good sleep schedule becomes a little harder. Teens often can’t express how they are feeling, or know why they feel this way, so it can come out as stress and anxiety (i.e. messy rooms, low motivation, and low energy with you). As parents, it’s like decoding a puzzle, but they need you now more than ever to be there for them. Four tips for showing up authentically for your teen include:
- Meet them with curiosity when talking with them about how they are doing and not just about school.
- Remain judgement free when they talk to you, so they know you are there for them through the good and hard times.
- Spend time with your teen to have fun. Keeping the phones charging in the other room or leaving them in the car can help build an intentional experience to show them life is about a balance. Remember they are watching you!
- Listen actively without offering solutions right away. Let your teen think through the situation before you jump in to fix it. This is so important to help them build strong problem-solving skills in the long run.
Recognizing teenage stress and fostering resilience can set up your teen to approach the last part of the semester with the ability to thrive, especially when they know you are in their corner!