Helping Youth With Emotions: Tips From Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists
The transition from childhood to teenage years is no easy thing and comes with associated interpersonal, physical, and emotional upheaval. Many youth feel they have the support to navigate this successfully, but up to 25% feel that their mental health experience has changed since 2019 and has been impacted not by normal teenage development, but also by COVID.
Most mental health issues begin to present and can be diagnosed in those ages 14-25. This means that teen years and early adulthood are key times to prioritize self-care and mental health. In this article, our depression counselling Calgary therapists who specialize in working with youth (those age 15-24) provide some guidance and suggestions for supporting yourself and/or your youth if you are a parent.
Why Youth Mental Health is So Important, From our Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists
Youth mental health matters. Tremendously. How come? These are the foundational years for adulthood and set the trajectory for years to come. Of course people can change any time, but to try and minimize the challenges and obstacles in life early on is a gift to our present and future selves. The World Health Organization talks about some of the ways youth with poorer mental health are at risk and the challenges this can pose.
Concerned about your or your youth’s mental health? Here is some information from Weill Cornell, including signs to be aware of.
Signs of Declining Mental Health in Youth, From Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists
It is important to be aware that, while these signs are not an exclusive list, they are often some of the earlier and key things to be aware of if you are concerned about your or your youth’s mental health. Be on the lookout for:
Use of substances (drugs, alcohol, vaping)
Changes in behaviour and/or mood patterns
Increased isolation
Increased use of phone, social media, and/or gaming
Changes in school behaviour and/or performance
Changes in socialization and relationships
Lack of interest in hobbies, passions, and/or life in general
Secrecy and/or lying
Self-harming behaviours (e.g., scratching, cutting, eating much less or more)
Engaging in risky behaviours (e.g., substance use, unprotected sex, sneaking out, fast driving, etc.)
An expressed concern about mental health, mood, and/or functioning
Expressed thoughts of suicide
When one or more of these are present, this shows an increased risk that you or your youth may be facing some mental health challenges.
Curious about your mental health?
Our depression counselling Calgary therapists encourage you to be active in your mental health care. If you are feeling good, now is a great time to keep engaging in and build some new self-care strategies to keep you feeling good into the future. If you are not feeling so good, now is the best time to talk to a friend, teacher, family member, and/or professional to start looking after yourself differently.
Parents: Tips for Helping Your Youth Navigate Emotions from Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists
Here are some suggestions for parents to support their youth with mental health and navigating the emotions of life:
Improve Your Own Emotional Intelligence.
It can be hard to demonstrate and practice what we don’t know ourselves. This is especially true of coping, self-care, and dealing with emotions. Our depression counselling Calgary therapists recommend normalizing talking about feelings by modeling this yourself. Share appropriately how you are feeling about things in your own life, demonstrate resilience by addressing problems calmly, and model balance and self-care for your children and youth. Download your free e-book on Building Emotional Intelligence to get you started on this journey today!
Look After Your Own Mental Health.
When you are flying on an airplane, the flight attendants remind you to put your own oxygen mask on first in the event of the emergency. This is because we cannot help anyone else if we have not been helped first. This is a common example used by depression counselling Calgary therapists to emphasize the importance of looking after ourselves in order to be able to look after others. If you are trying to pour from an empty cup, you and your youth are not getting the support you need or deserve. Whether this is self-help, community, family, or professional support, it is okay to open up to others and find the tools and strategies you need to feel well.
Be Thoughtful About Modelling With Substance Use.
This is generally the age when youth start to explore a relationship with alcohol and other drugs, including nicotine, tobacco, marijuana, and more, as our depression counselling Calgary therapists often see. Having open discussions about substance use, any addiction in your family, and/or your own relationship with substances can help provide needed information and support to your youth. If you are hoping your youth will have a thoughtful, balanced, and moderate relationship with substances, it is important that you look at what they see you doing. If you would like some support around your relationship with substances, please visit our free resources page to get you started.
Practice What You Preach.
Model what you are asking of your youth, especially with media and substance use. If you have rules in your home about screentime, it is important that you follow these too. Household rules will be more respected and understood than ‘rules for thee, not for me,’ which youth can resent and look to undermine. If you are telling your youth not to do something but engaging in it yourself, this sends a confusing message, according to our depression counselling Calgary therapists.
Be Mindful of Your Energy.
The day-to-day energy of the household has an impact on everyone’s mental health. Trying to keep energy calm, relaxed, and open is helpful. This is also true when approaching your youth with specific issues, according to our depression counselling Calgary therapists. It is best to approach them when you feel focused, calm, and open to talking, rather than when you are irritable, stressed, overwhelmed and/or angry.
Work ‘With’ Them.
Adapt strategies, approach and communication to their strengths and needs rather than a one-sized fits all rule. Youth are starting to embrace their adulthood and want to be treated with respect and as an ‘equal.’ It is important to honour this by moving into a coaching, teaching and support role, rather than the parent who does it for them, according to our youth depression counselling Calgary therapists.
Communicate.
Healthy communication is key to navigating emotions and improving mental health. Here are a few suggestions from our youth depression counselling Calgary therapists:
Be Inviting, Not Pushy. Gentle invitations to share without an agenda encourage your youth to open up about what is going on in their world. Be thoughtful about your responses and focus on non-judgment and minimal reaction so that they don’t shut down in future. You can always come back and revisit important topics once you’ve had a chance to process them.
Ask Open-Ended Questions. A lot of youth provide one word responses but using open-ended questions that are more general may invite more sharing. Examples may include, “How was that for you?”, “How did you feel about that?”, “What did you like about that?”
Check-in On the Highest and Lowest Things of the Day. Make questions and check-ins specific if you are having a hard time getting your youth to open up. “What was the best thing that happened today? The worst?”
Take An Interest in Their Interests. Be engaged with them. It’s amazing to see youth light up and open up when we communicate about the things that matter most to them. It also shows them how much they matter.
Here are some additional communication tips
Spend Quality Time Together.
Do activities in and outside of the house together. Here is an extensive list of ideas for ways to spend time together. Our youth depression counselling Calgary therapists also want to remind you to enjoy time in the car together. This can be a great opportunity to talk and open up non-threatening, calm dialogue about school, life, interests, and more.
Be Patient and Build Routines Over Time.
If your household is not functioning as you would like it to, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your current routines. These will not change overnight, but re-evaluating what is working, what is not working, and what can be changed as a family can help everyone feel invested in change moving forward.
Pick the tips and areas you feel you can and are motivated to work on. Remember to be patient, take it one step at a time, and embrace the idea of progress not perfection.
Youth: Tips for Helping You Navigate Emotions from Depression Counselling Calgary Therapists
Engage in Self-Care.
Taking time to recharge, rejuvenate, relax and unwind is an essential mental health skill. Learn what this means and what it can look like for you by downloading our free e-guide to self-care.
Talk.
Find a person or people in your life that you can share openly with about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This can be a friend, teacher, parent, sibling, family member, religious community member, and/or professional. Being able to get things out helps us navigate emotions big and small.
Move.
Being in school all day and doing homework at night may not leave much time for movement, but this is essential for keeping your mind, body, and mood healthy. Taking time to go for a walk, stretch in your room, play an activity with friends, or going to the gym are great natural mood boosters, according to our youth depression counselling Calgary therapists.
Detox.
Your mind may benefit from taking time away from social media, your phone, video games, sugar, caffeine, nicotine, vaping, alcohol, unhealthy friends/relationships, or anything else that you feel is having a negative impact on you. While you may not be able to disengage from these things forever, even a short-term detox can rejuvenate your mind, according to our youth depression counselling Calgary therapists.
Remember, You Are Not Alone.
Our depression counselling Calgary therapists know that you may feel isolated, alone, and that you’re the only one experiencing this. We can guarantee you that you are not. Other youth are also struggling with relationships, feelings, mental health, substances, sleep, nightmares, hallucinations, bullying, school, fear of the future, phobias, anxiety, depression, trauma, neurodivergence, sexuality, sex, finding themselves, and more. You may find value in online resources, connection in your local community or school, or talking things through with a professional. Whatever path you choose is great.
We know that navigating emotions and life is not easy. We hope that these tips give you a starting point to explore some further action for you and your family. Take care and be well.
Sana Psychological is a mental health and addiction recovery clinic located in Calgary, Alberta and Airdrie, Alberta. Our therapists support youth in multiple areas of mental health, including anxiety counselling Calgary, depression counselling Calgary, trauma, school issues, behaviour challenges, and emotional coping.
