educate
J
Making the Grade
SPRING 2018
maskmatters.org
69
H
igh school kids are stressed. Not only are they dealing with
identity crises, academic stress, finding their future paths,
and getting ready to launch, but they’re also dealing with
information and technology overload.
The rates of high school students dealing with addiction and suicide
is at an all-time high. One in 11 high school-aged teens become addicted
to marijuana, and 22.7 million kids over the age of 12 are using inhalants.
Even more alarming is the suicide rate for girls age 15 to 19 doubled from
2007 to 2015, and increased by 30 percent for boys age 15 to 19 over the
same time period.
Teens have a tough time making healthy choices because they’re
overwhelmed.The good news is teens are able to use a wide variety of
coping skills because of their ability to think abstractly.They can identify
the potential negative consequences of their behaviors, they can tell you
what the healthier choices are, and they can advise their friends to make
better choices. But when it comes to taking their own advice, it’s almost
impossible to follow through with the healthier options due to the way the
reward center functions during the teen years.
Setting goals and having a plan in place is one of the best coping skills
to teach your teen.Those who have set achievable goals with a clear plan are
more likely to make better choices and feel less stress.
Signs &
Behaviors
TEENS WHO ARE ABLE TO COPE CAN:
q
Tolerate failure or setbacks
q
Take a break or know when to walk away
q
Identify when they need self-care
q
Have clear goals and plans to achieve them
q
Have healthy relationships with peers
q
Identify their own wants and be assertive to meet their goals
q
Recover from setbacks in a normal amount of time
q
Admit to mistakes and take responsibility
q
Have a broad array of coping skills to choose from
q
Manage their time
TEENS WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH COPING:
q
Turn to unhealthy choices such as substances to cope
q
Isolate
q
Avoid talking about their stressors
q
Don’t know how to take a break
q
Quit activities easily
q
Have unhealthy relationships
q
Have a hard time setting goals
q
Don’t know how to take care of themselves or ask for help
What You Can Do
D
Model healthy coping skills and
talk about coping with your
own stress without sharing
inappropriate information.
D
Teach them how to ask for help.
D
Talk to them about taking breaks
from tasks and then going back
to the activity once they feel less
stress.
D
Discuss planning—teach them
how to make a plan with goals,
objectives and steps to achieve
each objective.
D
Help them find and stick to their
passions.
D
Help them identify a variety of
healthy coping skills including
mindfulness, deep breathing,
exercise, and talking about
stressors with trusted adults.
D
Empower them with appropriate
responsibility.
D
Help them find support within
their environment.
D
Model optimism and positive
attitudes.
D
Continue to help develop
emotional literacy.
Conversation
Starters
“
There is more stress than ever
as you start high school. Can
we talk about things we can do
together and things you can do
by yourself that will help decrease
the stress?”
“
What is your passion? What do
you want for yourself in the next
couple of years and after high
school? Developing a plan takes
time—creating goals, objectives
and action steps is the best way
to deal with stress and get you to
your passion.”
“
What kind of things stress you
out? How do you know when
you’re feeling stressed?”
