Tips for Managing Back to School Stress
Any transition can create stress, and going back to school is a big transition for teens. At the start of the school year, they may be navigating a mixture of social anxiety, academic pressure, disrupted routines, unfamiliar situations, and other challenges, all at once. Whether they are excited, anxious, or somewhere in between, all teens […]
Why Are Loneliness Rates Increasing?
Loneliness has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., according to Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. In May, Murthy’s office released a sobering report which stated, “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding […]
How Connection Helps You Navigate Transitions
Transitions are a part of life at every age, but they’re especially intense for tweens and teens. Nonstop neurological, psychological, physical and social changes are woven into the fabric of adolescence, making tweens and teens more vulnerable to stress, anxiety and depression. Researchers say that connection to others – including social support, meaningful relationships, and […]
How Connection Builds Confidence
The confidence of almost every tween and teen takes a hit in adolescence. Kids who were spunky, sassy and carefree a few years ago may suddenly seem unsure and anxious. The transition is tough for parents to process. “…A confident child does not automatically become a confident adolescent,” says psychologist Carl Pickhardt. That’s because adolescence […]
Tips for Nurturing Your Teen’s Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is a secret superpower. In the book Emotional Intelligence, author and psychologist Daniel Goleman suggests that EQ may be even more important in life than IQ. Goleman and other researchers believe the full spectrum of human intelligence includes the ability to understand, express and regulate one’s own emotions and to have […]
Raising a Curious Teen
Curiosity is one of the top qualities we should help our teens cultivate, according to researcher Elyse Salek. Why? “Because rapid brain growth during adolescence results in even greater potential benefits to memory and learning,” Salek says. “Teens are developing the capacity to think critically and reason thoughtfully. The underlying force of many of these […]
How to Support Your Teen Through Transitions
Transitions are tough at any age, but they’re extra-challenging for teens. Adolescence is already a time of nonstop changes, making unexpected upheavals like divorce, a big move, or the loss of a loved one even more unsettling. How can we make sure our teens not only survive but thrive in the midst of transitions? Change […]
Raising Your Teen to Have a Growth Mindset
After decades of groundbreaking research Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck discovered the simple but groundbreaking concept of mindset. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Information about what a growth mindset looks like […]