When I visualized this website eight years ago at the end of my fathers battle with cancer. With a thought wouldn’t it be wonderful “If ” one site would make a difference with cancer awareness. When I would go with my father to doctor appointments, I would pick up magazines and tell myself how much difference would cancer rates be “if ” everybody would read this or that article.
Thinking wouldn’t it be cool to search a website and be able to eventually find all the answers to cancer (prevention through awareness) in one site. However, in this blog post while going to town to pay off a few bills. Enter the lady I talk to each month as she tells me about a neighbors crack baby. As we begin talking about all the crack, heroin and meth labs in the locale anymore. After reading a three part series in the newspaper last week that was headlined I’m Addicted to Heroin.
Then after getting back in the house: picking up the newspaper and read about Teens being under duress with stress. What with the mess we read about each day in Washington D.C. Stress today causes one – third teens to feel sad or depressed, while one – third feel tired all the time and 1/4th say, “they skip meals because of the stress in their lives and life in their family.” With only 16% saying, “they felt their stress declined in the last year.”
Teens learn from their parents… and how their parents deal with stress will sometimes dictate how they deal with stress. If parents don’t handle it well chances are the teen will handle it the same way. When the parents in the house are stressed out the teen will be as well. As more and more teens fall victim to their addictions it becomes a vicious cycle. Parents should also schedule breaks to talk to their child and take a walk with them.
Dr. Caron Farrel, a pediatrician and also a pediatric psychiatrist at the Seton Mind Institute thinks, teens experiencing a lack of down time, even at home is the main problem. The Social Norm today, has teens always on the go…. with very little time for thought. While navigating themselves around peer pressure and never getting a break to find their true identity. It is these middle school formative years that’s important to figure out yourself.
As the level of school activities increases, these teens are pushed to excel beyond reproach. Everything becomes more complicated and with so much coming at them all at once…. in every direction. Their problems to an adult will seem trivial but sometimes they are not to them (they are learning and growing and it’s important to them.) Teens know sleep deprivation while requiring 9.5 hours a night. They’re wired to just keep going staying up late and sleeping in ….while sleeping their weekends away.
With the message one providing to them should be no – one person needs to be perfect…. it’s okay to be you every once in awhile. As kids should try to do their best but you don’t have to do what others do. Parents should be on the look out for warning signs… such as,*changes in sleep, mood and eating patterns *emotional reactivity * feelings about being overwhelmed * while being with drawn and depressed * grades slipping * lack of motivation *stomach upset or head aches.
One Key To Success: have your teen put down their cell phones and cross off the little things on that to do list. Living the big project for last. With the brain having a tendency to work in numbers, not levels. If you cross off the 5 little things before the big project you will feel like doing the big project. Because the stress level is down and that big project won’t seem daunting, as they find the time to really want to do the job .