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Your Teen’s World . A Presentation for Parents November 17, 2011. Inside your teen’s world…. Sources of Stress for Everyone. Relationships Family Issues Social Issues Work/School Finances Time Management. Teen World Stressors. Home Situation School Situation - Academic pressure
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Your Teen’s World A Presentation for Parents November 17, 2011
Sources of Stress for Everyone • Relationships • Family Issues • Social Issues • Work/School • Finances • Time Management
Teen World Stressors • Home Situation • School Situation - Academic pressure - Extracurricular pressure • Social Culture - Dating - Friendships - Cliques - Peer Pressure - Bullying
More Teen World Stressors • Growing up “too fast” - Media Messages - Peer Pressure • Feeling Disconnected - Time on Technology - Individualized Activities • Poor Time Management - Being Overscheduled with Activities
Additional Teen World Stressors Today • Cyberbullying - Facebook - Formspring - My Space Megan Meier *http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/ - Texting and BBM’ing/e-mail - Twitter/Tumblr • Sexting - Cell Phones, IPhones, IM’ing, Texting *http://getbetterhealth.com/parents-your-kids-may-be-sexting/2009.10.29
Symptoms of Stress Can Include: • Physical Complaints • Drop in Grades • Withdrawal from Friends and Activities • Inability to Concentrate • Significant Changes in Sleeping Habits • Sudden Weight Gain or Loss • Mood Swings • Fighting and Aggression
Strategies to Reduce Stress • Communicate • Recognize Warning Signs • Applaud Success • Ration TV/Computer and Electronic Devices • Readjust Perspective • Learn and model stress management skills • Jennifer A. Walker, Psy.D.
Strategies to Reduce Stress • Connect to others • Get enough sleep • Watch eating habits • Remove at Least One Stressor: Even a small improvement in the overall situation can help children feel stronger and more able • Have fun! • Jennifer A. Walker, Psy.D.
Arguably, the Most Prevalent Stressor among NH Students… • Pressure to compete and excel in school - overscheduled with rigorous academic courses - feeling like nothing they accomplish is ever “enough” - overloaded with activities - overly concerned about doing things for the sake of building their college resume - overly concerned about keeping up with peers
Symptoms of Being Overscheduled • Rushing • Fatigue or listlessness • Constantly missed deadlines • Insufficient time for rest or personal relationships • Feeling overwhelmed • Lack of “down time”
Making Time • Learn to say “No” • Build time into your schedule • Make reasonable time estimates • Time for interruptions, unforeseen events • Set aside “quiet time” each day • Prioritize • Stop perfectionism – just get it done
Thoughts on dealing with pressure to compete and excel • Think in terms of “the big picture” • Help your child find his or her own personal strengths and interests • Don’t make every conversation/interaction with your child be about school • Help them to see that they are not the sum of their GPA/SAT scores
What Our High School Provides • School Resources and Support - Counselors - Social Workers and School Psychologist - Administration (School-Based Issues) - Affirmative Action Officer - Teachers
What Our High School Provides • Education/Programs - Transition Project - Student Ambassadors -“Sticks & Stones” Program - Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Policy - Character Education Outreach Program • Outside Sources - Private Counselor Referrals - Police/DARE officers
Special Thank You to Jennifer A. Walker, Psy.D. of the Family Institute of Westchester for providing us with the stress management portion of our presentation DrjWalker828@gmail.com