The coronavirus pandemic that many thought would only last for a few weeks or just until the summer has now stretched past a year, and it has taken a massive mental, emotional, and physical toll on people across the globe.
This time has been especially difficult for teenagers who have had to cope with the stress of the pandemic on top of the other stressors they typically face during this time.
Lack of social events: Teens in the United States have seen the cancelation of heralded high school events like football games, prom, and graduation.
Loss and grief: With over 500,000 COVID-19 related deaths in the United States, many teens have had to try and heal as they’ve lost friends, family members, and loved ones to this virus.
Social isolation: On top of all the other hardships of the pandemic, quarantine has led to social isolation, causing many teens to feel lonely and disconnected during a time when they need others the most.
Non-traditional schooling: Doing well in school is difficult enough without the added challenges of learning online or switching between asynchronous and synchronous learning.
Fear and anxiety: This virus was unexpected, and although there are vaccinations available, there is not a definitive end in sight. This has led many teens to feel anxiety or fear about contracting the virus, continuing to miss out on important milestones, losing loved ones to COVID-19, or feeling like life will never return to normal.
All of these factors have led to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and it has caused teens to feel exhausted and discouraged.
If you’ve noticed that your teen is experiencing burn out or just seems more fatigued than usual, it is a sign of how the pandemic is affecting their mental health.
Here are a few ways you can help your teen as they continue to navigate the challenges of this pandemic:
Be patient
Your teen is probably experiencing some mental fog due to the stress of the pandemic. This might influence their school work, their desire to do well academically, and their ability to study for exams like the SAT.
Try to understand and empathize with what your teen is going through so you can be more patient with them if they don’t quite live up to the academic expectations that you have set in the past.
Encourage good sleep hygiene
Chronic stress can make it hard for teens to have high quality sleep each night. This can lead to problems like mental and physical health issues, irritability, inability to focus, and fatigue. When coupled with the stress of the pandemic, this can be detrimental for your teen.
Encouraging your teen to practice good sleep hygiene can help alleviate these issues and make sure your teen is getting the rest they need to tackle the challenges they are facing.
Here are a few tips to help your teen with their sleeping habits:
Avoid working out or eating heavy meals before bed
Follow a consistent sleep schedule
Don’t use screens or bright lights before bedtime
Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep each night
When your teen is getting the proper amount and quality of sleep each night, it will help them handle the hardships they have to go through due to the pandemic.
Promote self-care
When your teen is in a constant state of feeling overwhelmed, it can increase their anxiety, cause muscle tension and headaches, and make it difficult for them to focus.
Encourage your teen to take some time for themselves in order to relieve some of the added stress and tension they’ve felt this year.
From exercising to journaling to getting a manicure to spending time watching their favorite shows, self-care activities will allow teens to feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
Help your teen practice gratitude
Your teen may have missed out on a lot this year, and you do not want to undermine their feelings of loss, frustration, and grief. However, when your teen wallows in these negative feelings, it does not help them push through hard times.
Practicing gratitude is a way for your teen to recognize and appreciate what they have so that they can improve their mood and increase their sense of hope and resilience.
Try buying a gratitude journal for your teen or asking them to try and list a few things they are grateful for each day.
Before long, they will start looking for the positive, and their sense of fear and anxiety will subsequently decrease.
This past year has been one of the hardest ones that teens have had to face in their entire lives, and the ongoing pandemic has the potential to make this year just as challenging as 2020. You can take the steps above to try and help your teen manage the difficulty of the pandemic and mitigate the negative impact that COVID-19 has had on your teen.