We are a few weeks away until the Summer break, both you and your teenager are probably hanging on to dear life, hoping the Summer holidays will come sooner rather than later.
Especially, your tired teenager, who may feel they're built enough writing confidence throughout the exam season, they just want a looooooooong break!
And to be honest, I feel the same way!
But do you or your teenager know how to practice self-care?
And
What is self-care?
Self-care is all about finding time to relax and rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit.
It's similar to taking your car for an MOT. Your mind, body and spirit also need a thorough check from time to time.
So here are a few tips to get you and your teenager started on your self-care journey:
9 Self-Care Tips For Your Tired Teenager
1) Meditate/Yoga
Your teenager might think meditation is all about: Sitting down, crossing your legs and making rhythmic sounds with your mouth, but it is much more than that.
Your teenager can:
Sit quietly, close their eyes, lay down and think about a relaxing place like a beach.
Put relaxing music or sound effects such as the ocean or the rain.
Sit and just breathe in and out slowly.
We underestimate the power of just sitting and breathing in and out, as it allows all of the oxygen to go around our body.
As anxiety can reduce our thinking and the amount of oxygen we need for our bodies.
I am not a science expert, but that is one thing I know since I started yoga a few years ago.
2) Go for a nature walk
To be one with nature helps us to stay relax and grounded to the earth.
It is a great place when we need peace and I get most of my greatest ideas when I am one with nature.
Also, a walk can help us not only get much-needed exercise but help the blood to circulate around our bodies.
Again, I am not a science expert, but for someone that takes a lot of nature walks with my daughter, I have seen the benefits with my body and mental health.
3) Go to a coffee shop
There is nothing like going to a coffee shop on your own and enjoying a nice cup of coffee or tea.
Unfortunately, that luxury was taken away when we were on a strict lockdown, but now we are slowly opening up cafes and restaurants.
Encourage your child to give it a go!
4) Socialise face to face
Our youngsters have become too reliant on technology to do everything for them, even socialise.
They would prefer to speak to a friend via Instagram instead of meeting and having a chat.
Encourage your teenager to meet up with friends face to face and have a chat as this can build up their social skills and can work wonders for their mental health.
5) Steer away from technology
Encourage your teenager to give themselves a social media day off or stop using their phone at a particular time in the evening.
Technology allows our brain to keep ticking and if we use it too close to our bedtime, it can affect our sleeping patterns and quality of sleep.
So try to restrict your child's phone usage.
6) Read a good book
When you find a good book, it is the best place to be! As you do not feel forced to read it, you are making the conscious choice to commit to a book until the last page.
Reading can be a very peaceful and therapeutic time, as long as your child is reading a book that they enjoy!
So see which genres they like of their favourite movies and match it to a book!
Once they have found their favourite genres or authors, explore that area as much as possible until they are ready to explore others.
7) Spend time with your loved ones
I don't know about you, but the pandemic made me appreciate my loved ones even more than I did before.
So encourage your teenager to spend time with family where you have a game night, go out to eat.
Or
Even have a family day out together at the cinemas or the seaside.
The main thing is to spend uninterrupted time with family as it is more important than ever!
8) Listen to music
Music has the power to evoke so many different emotions. But in this instance, we want it to relax us.
So get your teenager to listen to music that would help them to relax and make them feel good.
My favourite artist is called Tom Misch, and he is my go-to if I want to relax.
9) Watch a movie
Sometimes, we need to escape from our reality and what better way to escape is watching a good movie.
So instead of your teenager surfing UTUBE, suggest you all watch a movie together that everyone would enjoy.
So to conclude:
9 Self-Care Tips For Your Tired Teenager
1) Meditate/Yoga
2) Go for a nature walk
3) Go to a coffee shop
4) Socialise face to face
5) Steer away from technology
6) Read a good book
7) Spend time with your loved ones
8) Listen to music
9) Watch a movie
