Tweet
Helping teenagers deal with stress
By Rachna Buxani, Counselling Services Coordinator, GEMS group of schools
are just some of the stressful questions that teenagers have to find answers to. It is important to remember that stress is a natural part of your child's life.
It only becomes harmful when the problems and hassles of daily life overwhelm your child. Parents need to be able to support their children so that they can cope better with this very complex phase of their lives. In this two part article I will highlight how parents can better support their teens during these stressful years.
What can parents do?
So, what can parents do to be more supportive? Firstly, it is very essential to keep the channels of communication open between you and your teen. If your child is not comfortable to talk to you about his worries there will be very little you will be able to do in order to help him. Many a times all they want is a listening ear and not someone to tell them what to do. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't express your opinions, particularly on important matters like values. But if every discussion turns into an
argument, you may need to spend more time listening, and to express your opinions calmly and quietly.
By Rachna Buxani, Counselling Services Coordinator, GEMS group of schools
are just some of the stressful questions that teenagers have to find answers to. It is important to remember that stress is a natural part of your child's life.
It only becomes harmful when the problems and hassles of daily life overwhelm your child. Parents need to be able to support their children so that they can cope better with this very complex phase of their lives. In this two part article I will highlight how parents can better support their teens during these stressful years.
What can parents do?
So, what can parents do to be more supportive? Firstly, it is very essential to keep the channels of communication open between you and your teen. If your child is not comfortable to talk to you about his worries there will be very little you will be able to do in order to help him. Many a times all they want is a listening ear and not someone to tell them what to do. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't express your opinions, particularly on important matters like values. But if every discussion turns into an
argument, you may need to spend more time listening, and to express your opinions calmly and quietly.
Comment