A selection of articles, books, and videos to help you understand how to navigate the stress that comes with being a teen – and being with teens – these days.
High School Stress: What This Teacher (and Mom) Sees — “As parents, we all want the best for our children. … But as a high school teacher, daily I see the burden of parental, societal and high school stress on the faces of my high-achieving students.”
Five things that can make you a better parent right now – If you can get past the condescending title, this article has some good suggestions.
What Teens Need Most from Their Parents – “As adolescents navigate the stormiest years in their development, they need coaching, support, good examples and most of all understanding.”
13 Powerful Phrases Proven to Help an Anxious Child Calm Down – This article is written for parents of younger children, but it contains strategies that teens could use for self-talk or that you could adapt for talking with a teen who is feeling stressed out.
Help Your Kids with Adolescence is a book that presents lots of practical information in an easy-to-read, highly visual style.
Teen Stress: What Parents Need to Know – “Research shows that teens feel even more stress than their parents”
For Teens Knee-Deep In Negativity, Reframing Thoughts Can Help – “Psychological research shows that what we think can have a powerful influence on how we feel emotionally and physically, and on how we behave. Research also shows that our harmful thinking patterns can be changed.”
‘When I Was Your Age’ And Other Pitfalls Of Talking To Teens About Stress Good advice for talking about coping with stress in ways that resonate with teenagers
Want More Stress in Your Life? Try Parenting a Teenager – This article suggests that parents ought to seek support from other parents, not just about their concerns, but also about their decisions.
Using “Botox Brow” to Communicate with Your Teen or Tween – a 2-minute video about an effective strategy for communicating with tweens and teens, by Michelle Icard, the author of Middle School Makeover.
How stress affects your brain, a TED-Ed Talk by Madhumita Murgia – a 4-minute video on the biology of stress, its effects on the body, and a little bit about antidotes such as exercise and meditation.