Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is helpful for managing anxiety at the start of a high school or college year in many ways!

Many people struggle to understand the difference because we often use the word ‘depression’ synonymously with sadness. In this article we explore what the difference might be for teens.

You may have experienced some really heavy things in your past, or even now. It may be hard to focus at school, let alone when you hang out with friends and family. You may be curious to try EMDR. Maybe you have seen a Tik Tok on it, a friend talked about it, or maybe you have no idea what it is. EMDR can help support you in healing.

Many people, teens in particular, can feel less connected to their friends and community over the summer. Due to differing vacation schedules, not seeing friends at school and less extracurricular activities. Managing a lack of connection over the summer can be challenging, but there are several strategies you can try to make the most of your time and stay connected.

The teen years can be such a challenging stage in your child’s (and your) life! Body changes, friend choices, academics, athletics, social media and technology stress, mental health…the list could go on forever! Teens are at such a formative age. Their brains have years to go until they’re fully ready for adulthood. Yet, they are trying to figure out their identity NOW!

How do you connect with our teen when they are navigating all of this?

It feels as though it's almost impossible these days to get kids off their phones and out of the house to enjoy the outdoors. The rise of social media, the convenience of indoor play gyms as well as overscheduled days make it seem impossible even for adults to be getting outside, let alone our kids. 

Sometimes when your teen is going through something such as depression, it can feel out of your control. Chandan shares some practical ways to provide support for your teenager.

Okay, so now that I reminded you of this ‘blah’ weather, and the ‘blah’ mood it may be causing, you’re probably wondering, “But I can’t control the weather, so how am I supposed to make my mood better?” Well basically, it’s about doing more things that make you happy! (I know, that sounds cheesy, but stay with me on this) So there’s these things called “happy hormones” that we all have, but sometimes we have less of these happy hormones, because of things like the ‘blah’ weather, and being stressed from all of the homework that we keep getting.

All of us have been affected by Covid in one way or another. We have all had to adjust how we cope in life and interact with others. I believe that our teenagers’ experience has a few more nuances added to it. It’s important that we acknowledge the loss and grief that some teens have experienced and that they will never be able to experience school the way it was. This article was written to help them navigate the anxiety that this might be producing as they return to school this year.

Mindfulness is something that we talk about a lot, but we don’t always know exactly how to do it. Janelle Traber explains how to understand and validate your emotions, and provides an example of a mindfulness tool that you can use at home.