By: Manjistha Chatterjee
Introduction
Adolescence or teenage years are the years where teenagers face
significant amount of physical, emotional and psychological
development. They are often confronted with stress from School
demands and frustrations, Negative thoughts or feelings about
themselves, Changes in their bodies and Family financial problems.
Therefore how teenagers are able to cope with these issues really
affects their mental health. The coping strategies can be classified into
healthy and unhealthy strategies.
Unhealthy Coping Strategies
Self Isolation: Teenagers who are stressed or are in distress,
usually try to isolate themselves avoiding social situations and spend
most of the time in their room as they think it is one of the easiest
ways to cope with stress. They don’t look for ideas that are usually
beneficial for them instead they try to cope with stress all by
themselves which results to bad mental health.
Self Harm: Teenagers often find pleasure in self harm and starts to
hurt themselves in order to relieve stress. This affects their health and
often leads to low self esteem.
Risky Behavior: Teenagers who are anxious, needs attention
and think that they are not responsible for their circumstances of lives
often gets into risky behaviours as a coping mechanism. They get into
underage substance use, steal money or participate in illegal
activities.
Healthy Coping Mechanisms
Seeking Social Support: In order to relieve stress teenagers
should try opening up to a friend, teacher or parent. If not comfortable
they can also go see a psychologist.
Relaxation Techniques: Yoga or meditation is one of the best
ways to cope up with stress as it helps to keep the mind cool. It also
helps to overcome anxiety during performances or exams.
Hobbies: Learning new creative activities such as art, dance,
singing etc and investing a few hours in it helps us to express our
stress or anxiety out.
Promoting Healthy Coping Mechanisms
· Parents play a great role in promoting healthy coping mechanisms. A
few ways in which parents can help teenagers are by limiting screen
time, by letting teenagers solve their low stake problems and
combatting negative thinking.
· Psychologists can play a great role in a teenager’s life. They teach
teens about different coping strategies and how to recognize
unhealthy patterns. This empowers them to make better choices.
· Programs that connect teens with mentors or peers who have
experienced similar challenges can encourage healthier coping
mechanisms and reduce feelings of isolation in teens.
Conclusion
Understanding the coping mechanisms that teens use is vital for
promoting healthier emotional and psychological development. While
healthy strategies like problem-solving, mindfulness, and social
support can foster resilience and emotional well-being, unhealthy
coping strategies like substance use, rumination, or self-harm can
increase stress and lead to long-term mental health challenges.
Interventions that teach and reinforce healthy coping mechanisms,
while addressing and mitigating unhealthy patterns, can help teens
build the resilience they need to thrive in the face of life's challenges.
References
Stress management and Teens
Medium:
https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_
Families/FFF-Guide/Helping-Teenagers-With-Stress-066.aspx
· How to recognise unhealthy coping mechanisms in teens
Medium:
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/teenagers/how-to-recognizeunhealthy-coping-mechanisms/
· How to help children and teens manage their stress
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