Following my most recent column offering adults a 2020 back-to-school list for teens’ emotional well-being, several teenage commenters asked that I address them in the same way that I address their parents: “as intelligent people who have the tools to support themselves and their loved ones through this trying time.”
Ok so. I really like this and I felt that I would like to add on by relaying what I’ve observed in my own experience as a teenager. (You could say I’ve got a little bit of those year under my belt.) Teenagers are often told by their parents, “if you want to be treated as an adult, then you have to give me the same level of respect.” It’s great in theory, and it’s wonderful when practiced . . . correctly, that is. That sentence is too often translated as, “If you don’t treat me with respect as an authority, I won’t treat you with respect as a person.” There’s a fine line that parents and teens walk and cross respectively.
Dear teenagers, you are right. And I’m so glad you asked. Here’s my guidance on what you can do to keep yourself steady in the turmoil of the pandemic.
Make the Most of Your Emotional Superpowers
Teenagers experience feelings more intensely than adults do, both negative and positive ones. While this amplifies the psychological discomfort you’re certainly experiencing right now, it also means that you get more out of pleasures and delights. These days the only bright spots many of us are finding are small ones, and for a lot of adults, these don’t feel very satisfying. But for you, small comforts and joys are more comforting and joyful than they are for adults. So, when your mood needs a lift, make the most of this emotional superpower.
I completely agree, I just want to study this branch of psychology among adolescents, and the more reading material, the better
What makes this power work for you will be highly personal. You might enjoy video games, pumpkin spice treats, cuddling your pet, being in nature, listening to music, going for a run or doing something else altogether. The adults in your life might not quite grasp how happy it makes you to watch your favorite movie for the umpteenth time. That’s OK. Just know what gives you a boost right now and enjoy it fully.
Use this link to get back to the Forum to discuss your emotional superpowers: https://www.youthvoices.live/groups/p-u-l-s-e-high-school/forum/topic/make-the-most-of-your-emotional-superpowers/
we should know and be comfortable when to use these super powers because it will not always go as you expect
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