Resources for Supporting your Teen's Mental Health
Mental Health vs. Mental Illness
Before watching the video below, check out these resources for ideas on promoting the mental health of children and adolescents, information about how children change as they get older, descriptions of behaviours that might indicate a problem, and practical suggestions for steps to take.
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Positivity
Here are some positive steps you can take to having good mental health.
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Ideas to build positivity into your life
Happiness takes work. Here are a list of activities that have been found to help build sustained happiness, when practiced regularly. The exercises that are described include gratitudes, acts of kindness, physical exercise, meditation, positive journaling, and fostering relationships.
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Here's a description of how to complete a Gratitude Journal
The goal of a gratitude journal is to increase our focus on positive experiences, which improves our well-being.
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Grief
Grieving is the teen’s natural reaction to a death. Grief is a natural reaction to death and other losses. However, grieving does not feel natural because it may be difficult to control the emotions, thoughts, or physical feelings associated with a death. The sense of being out of control that is often a part of grief may overwhelm or frighten some teens. Grieving is normal and healthy, yet may be an experience teens resist and reject. Helping teens accept the reality that they are grievers allows them to do their grief work and to progress in their grief journey.
Each teen’s grieving experience is unique. Grieving is a different experience for each person. Teen grieve for different lengths of time and express a wide spectrum or emotions. Grief is best understood as a process in which bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts, and behaviours surface in response to the death, its circumstances, the past relationship with the deceased and the realization of the future without the person. For example, sadness and crying may be an expression of grief for one teen, while another may respond with humor and laughter.
There are no “right” and “wrong” ways to grieve. Sometimes adults express strong opinions about “right” or “wrong” ways to grieve. But there is no correct way to grieve. Coping with a death does not follow a simple pattern or set of rules nor is it a course to be evaluated or graded.
Every death is unique and experienced differently.The way teens grieve differs according to personality and the particular relationship they had with the deceased. They typically react in different ways to the death of a parent, sibling, grandparent, child, or friend.
The grieving process is influenced by many factors.
The impact of a death on a teen relates to a combination of factors including:
Grief is ongoing. Grief never ends, but it does change in character and intensity. Many grievers have compared their grieving to the constantly shifting tides of the ocean; ranging from calm, low tides to raging high tides that change with the seasons and the years.
Each teen’s grieving experience is unique. Grieving is a different experience for each person. Teen grieve for different lengths of time and express a wide spectrum or emotions. Grief is best understood as a process in which bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts, and behaviours surface in response to the death, its circumstances, the past relationship with the deceased and the realization of the future without the person. For example, sadness and crying may be an expression of grief for one teen, while another may respond with humor and laughter.
There are no “right” and “wrong” ways to grieve. Sometimes adults express strong opinions about “right” or “wrong” ways to grieve. But there is no correct way to grieve. Coping with a death does not follow a simple pattern or set of rules nor is it a course to be evaluated or graded.
Every death is unique and experienced differently.The way teens grieve differs according to personality and the particular relationship they had with the deceased. They typically react in different ways to the death of a parent, sibling, grandparent, child, or friend.
The grieving process is influenced by many factors.
The impact of a death on a teen relates to a combination of factors including:
- Social support systems available for the teen (family, friends, and/or community)
- Circumstances of the death – how, where, and when the person died
- The nature of the relationship with the person who died – harmonious, abusive, conflictual, communicative
- The teen’s level of involvement in the dying process
- The emotional and developmental age of the teen
- The teen’s previous experience with death
Grief is ongoing. Grief never ends, but it does change in character and intensity. Many grievers have compared their grieving to the constantly shifting tides of the ocean; ranging from calm, low tides to raging high tides that change with the seasons and the years.
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Nine Helpful Ideas for Your Personal Grief Journey
Grief is exhausting. It takes a lot of time and energy and can wear you out. That is why anyone who is going through grief needs love, understanding, and encouragement. Grief is a journey and no two journeys are alike. However, here are some helpful hints that you can use along the way.
All information in the grief section has been taken from: https://highland.slcschools.org/academics/counseling-center/documents/HealingActivitiesforGrievingChildrenandTeens.pdf
Grief is exhausting. It takes a lot of time and energy and can wear you out. That is why anyone who is going through grief needs love, understanding, and encouragement. Grief is a journey and no two journeys are alike. However, here are some helpful hints that you can use along the way.
- Eat healthy foods and snacks. A healthy diet will keep your physical body in good health and will promote better well-being.
- Get lots of rest. Take naps—remember grieving takes a lot out of you!
- Talk about your feelings. Find someone with whom you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and emotions.
- Exercise. Physical activity will help to release negative energy.
- Laugh often. Laughing, even when you are sad or angry, is healthy.
- Spend time with friends.
- Write down your feelings. Keep a diary or journal.
- Draw pictures or paint. Art is a fantastic way to express yourself!
- Don’t rush grief. It takes time. You do not “get over” grief. In time, however, you will accept things intellectually and learn to live with grief.
All information in the grief section has been taken from: https://highland.slcschools.org/academics/counseling-center/documents/HealingActivitiesforGrievingChildrenandTeens.pdf
Symmes Junior High School / D'Arcy McGee High School
925 Boulevard du Plateau, Gatineau, Quebec J9J 3G2
Phone: 819.684.7472
Fax: 819.684.7521
925 Boulevard du Plateau, Gatineau, Quebec J9J 3G2
Phone: 819.684.7472
Fax: 819.684.7521
