How teenagers can protect their mental health during coronavirus (COVID-19): 6 strategies for teens facing a new (temporary) normal.
Author: Mandy Rich, Digital Content Writer, UNICEF
Rich, Mandy. “How Teenagers Can Protect Their Mental Health during Coronavirus (COVID-19).” UNICEF, 2 Mar. 2020, www.unicef.org/coronavirus/how-teenagers-can-protect-their-mental-health-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
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Every tip in this article is really good and very helpful. It lets you know you are not alone during Covid-19. It is a great article because it has lots of very useful tips.
20 March 2020
Being a teenager is difficult no matter what, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is making it even harder. With school closures and cancelled events, many teens are missing out on some of the biggest moments of their young lives — as well as everyday moments like chatting with friends and participating in class.
For many of us, this is year difficult. Now with the coronavirus situation is more harder. We are gonna lose important moment like our graduation and many trips because of the covid-19.
i agree cause they r a lot of teenagers missing out of school opportunities to study but they can’t because of covid-19
But i agree I want to go outside and hang out with friends and family also and not just stay inside and not doing anything
As an introvert myself, this is true. I don’t know much about that species called extroverts though…
So I agree because as a teenager you want to plan things or go out, and do other activities, but the disease(COVID-19) just canceled everything you can’t do anything you have to stay at home to stay safe
I agree cause us teenagers want to plan things to hang out like to the movies and Hang out and just go to the park and have some fun!
It’s just homework after homework, I have nothing to look forward to.
I couldnt go because There was going to be lots of people and i was scared that ill get covid
so technically i have been eating less and had a loss of motivation(not like that was the first time)
I miss going out and actually not having our mask on and I know i will remeber not taking care of myself when i go out and now when covid hit Now i do take care of myself
I agree being a teenager and having to go through this is very hard. With this quaratine we cant go out, be with our friend even more enjoy our teenage years.
When i go somewhere I will get a little scared cause you never know the person behind or in front of you can have covid its hard going through lots of things and always being in our room and not doing nothing
With the corona virus around teens are missing out on what are suppose to be the most important time of our lives. The virus has been making it harder than ever to be a teen even though it is hard enough, so right now is when mental health is the most important.
Many people are unfortunately living this tragedy in their lives at one point or another.
Cause when i go out i have to go out being carful and knowing that when i go out and go to the movies i have to make sure i clean my hands before i eat cause i never know if a person sat in the same chair as me that has covid and i get it cause i dont take care of myself i feel like i am missing out my teenage years.
That true we can see how our Boston Trip is cancelled for example.
What I most missing is interact with my friend physically since I don’t see then any more.
I feel like many older people dislike when teens say their lives are hard, but don’t truly understand some of the things we go through, especially since it is such a different time from when they were in school.
For teenagers facing life changes due to the outbreak who are feeling anxious, isolated and disappointed, know this: you are not alone. We spoke with expert adolescent psychologist, best-selling author and monthly New York Times columnist Dr. Lisa Damour about what you can do to practice self-care and look after your mental health.
During this time many people can feel as if they are alone and multiple emotions are being felt because of the current situation we are in. For some people it is difficult to keep a positive mindset but we have to try our best to keep ourselves calm.
Is important that even though we are having a hard time and struggling to keep up with this situation is going to benefit us by not getting sick
1. Recognize that your anxiety is completely normal
If school closures and alarming headlines are making you feel anxious, you are not the only one. In fact, that’s how you’re supposed to feel. “Psychologists have long recognized that anxiety is a normal and healthy function that alerts us to threats and helps us take measures to protect ourselves,” says Dr. Damour. “Your anxiety is going to help you make the decisions that you need to be making right now — not spending time with other people or in large groups, washing your hands and not touching your face.” Those feelings are helping to keep not only you safe, but others too. This is “also how we take care of members of our community. We think about the people around us, too.”
Felling anxiety is a alarm that is trying to say something.
Anxiety could be considered a tool to manage the situation in a much better way to keep us and our family safe
While anxiety around COVID-19 is completely understandable, make sure that you are using “reliable sources [such as the UNICEF and the World Health Organization’s sites] to get information, or to check any information you might be getting through less reliable channels,” recommends Dr. Damour.
That true no all the resources are not reliable sources.
If you are worried that you are experiencing symptoms, it is important to speak to your parents about it. “Keep in mind that illness due to COVID-19 infection is generally mild, especially for children and young adults,” says Dr. Damour. It’s also important to remember, that many of the symptoms of COVID-19 can be treated. She recommends letting your parents or a trusted adult know if you’re not feeling well, or if you’re feeling worried about the virus, so they can help.
what should a teenager do in case is every having COV-19 and is isolated from their people, including friends, or even family. what can this person do in order to enhance their mental health socially?
And remember: “There are many effective things we can do to keep ourselves and others safe and to feel in better control of our circumstances: frequently wash our hands, don't touch our faces and engage in social distancing.”
We all need to keep ourselves healthy by doing each and everything recommended by the doctors not forgetting to keep on doing whatever we enjoy.
>> Read our handwashing tips
2. Create distractions
“What psychologists know is that when we are under chronically difficult conditions, it’s very helpful to divide the problem into two categories: things I can do something about, and then things I can do nothing about,” says Dr. Damour.
Good idea think about both sides
what we can do and think what we are no able to do.
There is a lot that falls under that second category right now, and that’s okay, but one thing that helps us to deal with that is creating distractions for ourselves. Dr. Damour suggests doing homework, watching a favourite movie or getting in bed with a novel as ways to seek relief and find balance in the day-to-day.
Yeah thats great because with the situation that we are living, we should not think or seeing the news about the covid-19 the whole day. we should be relaxed and trying to find a balance in our day to day.
3. Find new ways to connect with your friends
If you want to spend time with friends while you’re practicing social distancing, social media is a great way to connect. Get creative: Join in a Tik-Tok challenge like #safehands. “I would never underestimate the creativity of teenagers,” says Dr. Damour, “My hunch is that they will find ways to [connect] with one another online that are different from how they’ve been doing it before.”
on this time is easy to connect with others our family and friends by social media
that needs to be done that day for school or other things.
Have a better communication with friends that you a while without talk to them.
“[But] it’s not going to be a good idea to have unfettered access to screens and or social media. That’s not healthy, that’s not smart, it may amplify your anxiety,” says Dr. Damour, recommending you work out a screen-time schedule with your parents.
4. Focus on you
Have you been wanting to learn how to do something new, start a new book or spend time practicing a musical instrument? Now is the time to do that. Focusing on yourself and finding ways to use your new-found time is a productive way to look after your mental health. “I have been making a list of all of the books I want to read and the things that I’ve been meaning to do,” says Dr. Damour.
I actually noticed that working out or just doing something that gets my heart rate up has given me a boost of happiness and accomplishment.
5. Feel your feelings
Missing out on events with friends, hobbies, or sports matches is incredibly disappointing. “These are large-scale losses. They’re really upsetting and rightly so to teenagers,” says Dr. Damour. The best way to deal with this disappointment? Let yourself feel it. “When it comes to having a painful feeling, the only way out is through. Go ahead and be sad, and if you can let yourself be sad, you’ll start to feel better faster.”
What if the pain is continuously happening on oneself? Will this lead to depression, or anxiety? How can we really assure that going through pain will heal our preocupations faster?
Processing your feelings looks different for everyone. “Some kids are going to make art, some kids are going to want to talk to their friends and use their shared sadness as a way to feel connected in a time when they can’t be together in person, and some kids are going to want to find ways to get food to food banks,” says Dr. Damour. What’s important is that you do what feels right to you.
That true all of us have different way to process our feelings.
6. Be kind to yourself and others
Some teens are facing bullying and abuse at school due to coronavirus. “Activating bystanders is the best way to address any kind of bullying,” says Dr. Damour. “Kids and teenagers who are targeted should not be expected to confront bullies; rather we should encourage them to turn to friends or adults for help and support.”
If you witness a friend being bullied, reach out to them and try to offer support. Doing nothing can leave the person feeling that everyone is against them or that nobody cares. Your words can make a difference.
And remember: now more than ever we need to be thoughtful about what we share or say that may hurt others.
i agree with this because one word can change a whole lot of things including friendships, relationships, and personality
Stay informed with the latest information on the coronavirus (COVID-19)
Interview and article by Mandy Rich, Digital Content Writer, UNICEF
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