Eat. Sleep. Worry. Repeat.
Posted 13 August 2024
Do you remember being a teenager? For some of us the memories might be hazier than others, but there’s no doubt we were all there once. The fashions, music and haircuts may always be changing (or constantly revolving - hello 80’s mullet revival!), but the feelings and fears so often stay the same. Similar emotions, different environment – and that’s where we’re landing today.
Recently, BBC Bitesize and 5 Live joined forced to commission a survey called Teen 24, looking at how teenagers are feeling today. Perhaps unsurprisingly the results revealed that nearly half of the young people questioned said they feel anxious some of the time, with nearly 20% admitting to feeling anxious most of the time. So, what exactly are our teenagers today worrying about? Would we even understand if they told us? Can we help them at all? Put down that vinyl/cassette/CD/iPod and let’s see if we can all help break the eat-sleep-worry-repeat youth lifestyle.
Teen 24 asked each young person to pick three items from a list to show the things they worried most about. Coming in at the top with the bulk of the worries were: passing exams/getting good grades, how much people liked them/were interested in them and feeling pressure to look/act a certain way. We are, of course, all unique, but it seems young people today are worrying about time-honoured teen issues, albeit with a 2024 twist.
We may not understand exactly what it is like to grow up in a digital, social media, climate-crisis age surrounded by 24-7 information and mis-information, but we can at least empathise. And that’s a great start.
So, how can we help the fantastic teenagers in our care to have better mental health, to worry less and flourish more? Firstly, check-in and keep an eye-out. Now, we know most teenagers are not open books, but get into the habit of regular, chilled catch-ups where you listen to help. If we know when something is bothering our teens, we are in the best position to support them, encourage them and build their self-esteem.
Next, we can encourage them to get regular physical exercise, eat well and have a healthy amount of sleep. Exercise like football, dance, running or Pilates can give teens a space to get away from worries, plus it releases endorphins in the body to boost their mood further. Moving, eating and sleeping well may sound basic, but they can all give teens the building blocks needed for a positive mindset. As a bonus, they also help young people to achieve their full learning potential, if exams and grades are on their mind.
Thirdly, we can help them find a ‘go to’ – an activity they enjoy and can spend some self-care time on to get away from pressures and reduce anxiety. It may be adult colouring or Lego, baking or playing a video game, journalling or listening to music. Help them find what helps them – and then support them with space to do it.
Finally, if they have times when they feel especially anxious, how about helping them create a worry box, teaching them the 3-3-3 Rule or practising some breathing exercises together .
Being a teenager in 2024 is not easy for our foster children, but with awesome carers on their side, the journey can be a lot smoother. Let’s hit the road and stop that eat, sleep, worry repeat! Here at Footprints we’re rooting for you as you root for your teens, so if you want to chat through anything, please get in touch – we love to hear from you. We might even let you build some of our Lego.