Why Is Resilience So Important for Teens?

The road to adulthood is oftentimes bumpy. Teenagers not only go through immense physical and emotional changes, but life tosses them plenty of challenges along the way - getting through middle and high school, managing the social scene with all its daily drama and ups and downs, academic pressure, big decisions about school, life and their future. It's all very overwhelming and exhausting for teens. To help teen, you need to help them gain character strength and an "I can bounce back" attitude to enable them to recover when life knocks them down.

1 Control - Our teens need to feel that they have some degree of control over their decisions, environment and their lives.

2 Competence - When they're given the freedom to explore their interests, certain strenghts are ultimately revealed. They start to realize their worth, value and competence which instills confidence and their ability to make a difference in their own life. When they feel they're behind the wheel in their life, they're more likely to push back and strand strong when life become challenging.

3 Confidence - Confidence, self-compassion and self-respect are crucial components of resilience. Having faith in their abilities and strengths, realizing that they're not perfect, that their mistakes don't define them, and forgiving themselves when they don't get the expected results are powerful factors in building resilience.

4 Connection - They need to know that they're part of something bigger than themselves.

5 Character - Help your teen discover their own unique talents, gifts and wisdom they hold within.

6 Contribution - When they realize that their contributions can make a difference in this world, it not only motivates them, it gives them a sense of purpose.

7 Coping - Work with teen to develop practical problem-solving skills and coping mechanisms to manage stress.

Another great way for your teen to develop resilience is to focus on conquering negative self-talk that can sometimes get the best of them. And remember... your teen will learn from your example. Your resilience will breed resilience in your teenager.