SIX WAYS TO HELP THEM BEAT THE PANDEMIC BLUES

Knock on their door

DON’T allow your teens to stay in their room for hours. If you haven’t heard from them, invite them to do something with you. Avoid criticism. To a teen feeling low, what sounds to you like a helpful suggestion will be heard by them as a dig.

One day at a time

IF YOUR teen seems overwhelmed with concerns about their future, they are likely to be thinking emotionally, which makes them believe these fears must be based in fact.

Tell your teen their worries are a natural, self-protective response. Feeling unhappy in these uncertain times does not mean there’s something ‘wrong’ with them.

Let go of certainty

LIFE is full of uncertainties and we have little power over big events, especially a pandemic. However, psychologist Becky Goddard-Hill, author of Be Happy, Be You: The Teenage Guide advises teens to make a list of the things they can’t control and then come up with a positive alternative they can control for each. Becky says: ‘For example, while they may not be able to see a certain friend in person during lockdown, they can take control by arranging a regular video call with that friend.’

Look, you can cope!

WORRY turns to anxiety when teens believe they aren’t able to cope. At a neutral time, when they’re not upset, talk through times when they’ve overcome tough obstacles.

Limit social media

TALK about the signs, such as anxiety about their looks, which can show they are getting pulled down a social media black hole. Suggest that when they are starting to feel self-critical, it should set off alarm bells that it’s time to switch to another activity.

Be curious

PSYCHOLOGIST Susan Jeffers suggests teens write a list of things that concern them, such as: ‘I’m worried I won’t get the GSCE grades now I’m not taking the exams’ and replace ‘I’m worried’ with ‘I wonder if’. Curiosity is better than fear.