Doing It, what is it? Who are you as a teen? Evaluate yourself (on the Wellness Wheel) and see what areas you want to work on because it's important to you now. As a kid, you are always being told what others think of you, or think you aught to do. But if you take time and evaluate, you may notice an area that is low that you didn't even think about, or realize it's an area you can actually work on. So you have a starting point. Then you get to ->
Reason to Be; your purpose in life. Often kids don't know because they didn't think about it. It could be your faith, saving the environment, helping others, being a caretaker or teacher. Kids tend to be self-centered, you know the moon is following them. The adolescent brain isn't fully developed until 20-25 years or more, so don't expect to be talking to a mature adult. Get kids to think outside of their own lives. Being part of the community, joining a team, doing volunteer work; all help. And you as a parent or caretaker, part of your purpose is raising a resilient, reliable, resourceful and responsible human, so what you say and how you say it also counts. Kids hear everything you say, so if you walk in after work and say, "Did you clean your room, you need a haircut, your shirt is backwards" or "How was your day, what went well, who made you laugh"; can change the whole tone, your kids social and emotional development, and your relationship. ->
Expertise, it's becoming better at something, and improving self confidence and empowerment. How do you become better at something? By practicing. Join a team, take a class, join a club, learn another language, take piano or guitar lessons. What do you like to do? How often do you do it? Research shows that teens who do one challenging, consistent activity for a minimum of 2 years during the High School years, do better long term. It's no wonder because they are often getting experience and advice from an expert, as well as getting constructive criticism or coaching to improve. They experience sharing resources, wins and losses, applauses and praise. They learn that they can do hard things by practice, focus and perseverance. ->
Attention is the next part. This has become a huge problem with this generation. They unfortunately grew up during the Covid years, and social media has become a nationwide issue. Teens are unable to focus on an activity and are unable to function without devices. They learned this from us, so we can't blame them. We didn't know better. So here we are, and we are still the adults and the ones who pay the bills. I coach too many people that are "afraid" to take away their kids devices. I love telling the story how I took away my daughter's cell phone and got her a flip phone for emergencies. After 2 days, she left it at home. I didn't let her take it on vacation either. The tough love for me and anger for her, soon changed to gratitude and understanding. Take time away from your devices. Lose yourself in an activity you love, think of one you can share with someone. Maybe a sport, a hobby, time in nature, baking, singing, or doing a meditation. The more you practice, the more your brain will be trained to focus on this, so enjoy, and strengthen that muscle. ->
Motion is last but not least. Teens should be doing 1 hour a day of physical activity. It can be structured or not, but many don't get nearly close to that amount. Being active also gets you and kids away from their screens. It's fun. It's a good way to meet people and strengthen relationships. It helps prevent or lessen many of the issues kids and adults face, or will face, such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, and many others. Many types can be at no cost and can be done almost anywhere. What are you waiting for? Make plans to do this, and don't break the plans. You, are the most important person and deserve the time for yourself. DREAM it into Your Life.
Love, Me
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