Much has been made of mental health through the pandemic, and rightly so. Alongside the coronavirus pandemic is a mental health pandemic. My work in the NHS, especially in the autumn of 2020 certainly confirms that this is the case for teenagers who have had their usual routines and support networks removed.
Yet despite that, I’m reminded of Florence and the Machine’s hit Shake it Out and the line “It’s always darkest before the dawn”. Released in 2011 it probably wasn’t written bout infectious disease, but nonetheless the saying and the line holds truth at any time.
In my work with teenagers and young people, I never cease to be amazed by their resilience. The adaptions, the dry humour and the ingenuity of using technology as a stop gap to seeing their friends in real life. The human spirit to adapt and overcome is a truely great thing
Despite the hope and optimise though, for some teenagers this will be a really hard time. Lockdown 3.0 means no school, horrifying figures in the news and dreary weather with short days. Loneliness, isolation and deteriorating mental health are words I hear often at the moment. What’s worse is some of the usual signs we might look out for are no longer applicable. For example a teenager not seeing friends and instead rarely leaving their room is now an expectation under lockdown rules. Not doing the activities they usually enjoy is an inevitable consequence of lockdown and even eating and sleeping may be effective by changes in levels of activity.
This lockdown seems different to the lockdown in March 2020. Back then there seemed a novelty and a sense of cause. This time once again we have been asked to save lives and protect the NHS, and rightly so. But for many the novelty has become tedium and the sense of cause has become fatigue.
It's Always Darkest Before The Don Meme
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Of course this is true of all of us, many adults will be feeling similar. However a difference with teenagers is the importance peer groups take in their worlds compared to adult who may depend more on family and spousal support. Erickson’s Theory of Development suggests that adolescence is a time of ‘Identity v Confusion’ as teenagers begin to make sense of the complexity of life and of themselves individuated from the family. A task that is hard enough in the best of times.
It’s Always Darkest before the Dawn. This phrase seeks to both answer and give hope to the biggest questions in life. If we are going to share our hope we have to answer the tough questions at the same time. It mixes darkness and light and gives a natural order to things to help us anticipate the coming light. However, it’s always darkest before the dawn, as they say, and there’s reason to keep hope alive that conditions will be improving sooner than expected. “When you gradually come back.
So how is it best to help at this time? There are a few simple strategies that can help maintain mental wellbeing. Because as I said at the beginning teenagers are for the most part incredibly resilient. After all they are used to inhabiting a world they have very little control over. Adapting and overcoming challenges is common.
🌳 Connecting: Being connected to peer groups is so important. Facetime, online gaming, messaging and group zooms are all ways to do this and should be encouraged as part of a routine
🌳Checking-in: Without seeing friends in person, teenagers may need to lean on parents again for support. Ask them how they are doing, and don’t just ask once, ask twice. “How are you doing? No really, how are you doing?”. Ask every day until they have no choice but to tell you!
🌳 Routine: Encourage achieving three things in a day; something because they are good at it, because it needs to be done and because they enjoy it. Also make sure they are logging into live teaching lessons and completing work during school hours.
🌳 Honest conversations: As parents its ok to say you are finding it hard too. Everyone is.
🌳 Stating active: Finding ways to exercise at home, going for walks or stating mentally active. Encourage continued good eating and sleeping patterns.
🌳 Praise: For every teenager who is following the rules, staying home and reducing contacts they are doing so to save lives and protect the NHS. This needs to be recognised and praised.
🌳 Promote hope: Yes things are bad right now and it’s fine to say this to teenagers, but it needs to be accompanied by hope. Every day scientist learn and discover more, the longer days of spring are around the corner and at some point in the future a relaxation of lockdown rules. Dawn will come.
Reddit It's Always Darkest Before The Don
Dr Stephen Wright
Founder and Clinical Psychologist at Oaks Child and Adolescent Psychology
**If you have any concerns about a young person and it’s not an emergency, contact Oaks at info.oakschildpsychology@gmail.com**
Much has been made of mental health through the pandemic, and rightly so. Alongside the coronavirus pandemic is a mental health pandemic. My work in the NHS, especially in the autumn of 2020 certainly confirms that this is the case for teenagers who have had their usual routines and support networks removed.
Yet despite that, I’m reminded of Florence and the Machine’s hit Shake it Out and the line “It’s always darkest before the dawn”. Released in 2011 it probably wasn’t written bout infectious disease, but nonetheless the saying and the line holds truth at any time.
In my work with teenagers and young people, I never cease to be amazed by their resilience. The adaptions, the dry humour and the ingenuity of using technology as a stop gap to seeing their friends in real life. The human spirit to adapt and overcome is a truely great thing
Despite the hope and optimise though, for some teenagers this will be a really hard time. Lockdown 3.0 means no school, horrifying figures in the news and dreary weather with short days. Loneliness, isolation and deteriorating mental health are words I hear often at the moment. What’s worse is some of the usual signs we might look out for are no longer applicable. For example a teenager not seeing friends and instead rarely leaving their room is now an expectation under lockdown rules. Not doing the activities they usually enjoy is an inevitable consequence of lockdown and even eating and sleeping may be effective by changes in levels of activity.
This lockdown seems different to the lockdown in March 2020. Back then there seemed a novelty and a sense of cause. This time once again we have been asked to save lives and protect the NHS, and rightly so. But for many the novelty has become tedium and the sense of cause has become fatigue.
Of course this is true of all of us, many adults will be feeling similar. However a difference with teenagers is the importance peer groups take in their worlds compared to adult who may depend more on family and spousal support. Erickson’s Theory of Development suggests that adolescence is a time of ‘Identity v Confusion’ as teenagers begin to make sense of the complexity of life and of themselves individuated from the family. A task that is hard enough in the best of times.
So how is it best to help at this time? There are a few simple strategies that can help maintain mental wellbeing. Because as I said at the beginning teenagers are for the most part incredibly resilient. After all they are used to inhabiting a world they have very little control over. Adapting and overcoming challenges is common.
🌳 Connecting: Being connected to peer groups is so important. Facetime, online gaming, messaging and group zooms are all ways to do this and should be encouraged as part of a routine
🌳Checking-in: Without seeing friends in person, teenagers may need to lean on parents again for support. Minecraft forge 1.7.10 for mac. Ask them how they are doing, and don’t just ask once, ask twice. “How are you doing? No really, how are you doing?”. Ask every day until they have no choice but to tell you!
🌳 Routine: Encourage achieving three things in a day; something because they are good at it, because it needs to be done and because they enjoy it. Also make sure they are logging into live teaching lessons and completing work during school hours.
🌳 Honest conversations: As parents its ok to say you are finding it hard too. Everyone is.
🌳 Stating active: Finding ways to exercise at home, going for walks or stating mentally active. Encourage continued good eating and sleeping patterns.
🌳 Praise: For every teenager who is following the rules, staying home and reducing contacts they are doing so to save lives and protect the NHS. This needs to be recognised and praised.
🌳 Promote hope: Yes things are bad right now and it’s fine to say this to teenagers, but it needs to be accompanied by hope. Gopro studio manual for mac. Every day scientist learn and discover more, the longer days of spring are around the corner and at some point in the future a relaxation of lockdown rules. Dawn will come.
Dr Stephen Wright
Founder and Clinical Psychologist at Oaks Child and Adolescent Psychology
**If you have any concerns about a young person and it’s not an emergency, contact Oaks at info.oakschildpsychology@gmail.com**