How to Help Teens Going Through a Crisis

It’s devastating enough for a parent to find out their child is dealing with major life issues, whether these involve school or their choice of a career. Your teen needs all the love and support they can get, and your presence motivates them to keep going. It can get difficult and frustrating on your part, but you need to know that you play a role in their journey as well as their internal struggles 

All it takes is knowing how you can provide your teen with not just material support. Going beyond helping them with their treatment, your role as a parent also extends towards keeping their hope alive and letting them know they’re not alone. To do that, consider the guide below on how you navigate the challenges of life together. 

Focus on Building an Authentic Connection 

Your teen is exposed to pessimistic thoughts, thinking that they’ve already reached the end of the road. Allowing these thoughts to prevail will only worsen their state and may cause them to lose enthusiasm for life. Open communication is central to preventing your teen from focusing too much on the negatives. Authentic conversations, especially initiated by you, can provide them with the means to build a more positive outlook.

The key to this is to create enough room for authenticity. Just by listening to your teen and understanding what they’re going through is already sufficient in helping them feel less alone in their thoughts. Only then can the burden of their diagnosis lose its grip on their zeal for life. 

Give Them Space to Express

Another key point in helping a teen overcome the effects of a crisis is letting them know they’re still free to follow what makes them happy. In most cases, young people become more prone to depression if they entertain the thought that their situation keeps them from enjoying the better things in life. 

Initially, your teen may feel as though they’ve lost touch with their interests and that life will never go back to the way it was. As a parent, encourage them to experience what other kids their age enjoy doing. Let them know that what they’re going through isn’t a barrier to making new friends, learning new skills, and traveling to new places.

Raise a Strong Support System

Helping your teen get through a major life crisis is not an exclusive responsibility that you and your teen will have to bear. If they have been diagnosed with cancer and are feeling mentally burnt out, it’s important to build a solid support system consisting of your teen’s physician, therapist, and, if they developed mesothelioma, asbestos lawyers. Aside from these experts, your teen also needs the warmth and comfort that their friends and relatives are capable of providing. 

When you show up with groups of people who have the same amount of love for them, your teen may develop a more positive attitude towards their situation. Allow them to travel or spend quality time with the people who mean so much to them. 

Be Kind to Yourself

Being your teen’s primary caregiver, you can’t deny the emotional toll that it has on you. As much as you want to make their life easier, you will have to make sacrifices in terms of time and peace of mind. Burnout from caregiving is real. 

When left alone, it’s going to affect the quality of support you are supposed to give. Stay emotionally grounded. Make the most of your rest days and build a support system of your own. If you’re going through another crisis, take time to recharge and be bold enough to ask for professional help. It’s only by doing so that you can elevate your capacity to care for your teen.

Endnote

A change of environment or the loss of a best friend can disrupt your teen’s life. Being their best ally through any crisis, you just need to stay focused and aware of your role as a parent.

Also read:

How to Choose the Right Therapeutic School

How to Help Manage Teen Depression

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