COPING MECHANISMS OF TEENSCOPING MECHANISMS OF TEENS: HEALTHY V/S UNHEALTHY STRATEGIES

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 BEHAVIOUR: 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-recognize unhealthy-coping-mechanisms/ 

· How to help children and teens manage their stress Medium:https://www.apa.org/topics/children/stress