Your Teen’s World

A Presentation for ParentsNovember 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- 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

Questions???