In a world of uncertainty, and a time of so many unknowns, how we spend our days and free time are essential to our mental health. In the immediate short term, it is important for us to find enjoyable activities to support our wellness, while we are at home.
Although there are a lot of things out of our control due to COVID-19, one thing we do have control over is how we spend our time while staying home. Sure, we still have day to day responsibilities like cooking, doing laundry and potentially working from home and or helping our teens adjust to this change. However, now is the time to increase pleasant activities to promote positive emotions during a time when uncontrollable circumstances impact our mood.
How do we support our teens during this unstructured time?
Sometimes we just need to throw ourselves into an activity, even when we aren’t motivated. One way to do this is by starting small. Maybe setting a reminder on your phone to do an activity for 10 minutes each day. This could be:
Walking the dog
Reading or Journaling
Virtually connecting with family and friends
Making cards for those in nursing homes
Creating funny memes
As teens begin to incorporate small pleasant activities into their day, this can take the form of building positive experiences in the long run. When thinking about building positive experiences for a longer duration, help your teen connect with their values and what is important to them.
Do they enjoy:
Helping others?
Being healthy?
Connecting with family?
Having fun?
Socializing with friends?
Being a leader?
Helping your teen connect to what is important to them will help them find more meaning in the activity they are doing. If helping others is their number one value, perhaps supporting your teen in finding volunteer work or helping them find ways to send positivity to others during this world change.
Try something new this week and begin to accumulate positive activities!