Teens - Coping With Stress
What is stress??? Wikipedia defines stress as, "(roughly the opposite of relaxation) a medical term for a wide range of external stimuli, both physiological and psychological." The definition of stress itself can be stressful, but The Wholistic Stress Control Institute reveals that stress can be pleasant or unpleasant depending on your reaction.
Good Stress: when an external stimuli or a change in your regular pattern of activity makes you excited, happy, or surprised, this can be a good stressor. Another example would be when a stress motivates you to do something different or heroic, that could be a good stress. Accomplishing a task can be a pleasant stress.
Bad Stress: Unpleasant stress can occur when a change in external stimuli makes you upset, sad, angry or scared. Bad stress can cause your heart to race, and worry to be on your mind. Like good stressors, unpleasant stress can motivate you to get a task accomplished, but it can also leave you paralyzed in fear if it becomes too overwhelming.
So what can I do? An International Teens and Stress website lists some of the causes of stress and common results of stress when it gets out of hand. Here are a few ideas to reduce the effects of stress and cope with stressors when they arise:
Avoid Overscheduling - try not to pile too many commitments into your schedule (sports, homework, extra-curricular activities). It is important to be involved in some things, but do not let them become too many things.
Be Realistic - do not expect yourself to be perfect. If you find you are having trouble and are getting stressed, ask for help.
Get plenty of rest - getting enough sleep helps your body and mind function at its best.
Exercise - take a short walk, bike to the park or go outside and shoot some hoops. These activities can give your mind a break from stress and can help you to re-focus your energy.
Try relaxation - breathe deeply, close your eyes, meditate... take a warm bath, drink a cup of hot tea, or listen to quiet music. These things can help calm your mind before facing a stressful situation.
Think Optimistically - know that you are going to get through the problem. It may feel stressful for the time being, but you are going to make it.
One step at a time - when facing a stressor, tackle little goals along the way. Sometimes breaking an assignment or task into parts can help reduce the size of it and the influence it has on your emotions.
For more information on teenage stress see: "Stress" on teenshealth.com, Family Doctor.org and 36 Biblical Principles to Reducing Stress
Showing posts with label Devotions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Devotions. Show all posts
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Dealing with death
Dealing With Death
It is only natural to experience grief when a loved one dies. The National Mental Health Association, a great resource when dealing with a loss, suggests the following ways to cope with the pain:
Seek out caring people.
Express your feelings.
Take care of your own health.
Accept that life is for the living.
Avoid major life changes.
Seek outside help when necessary.
Be patient. It can take months or even years to absorb a major loss and accept your changed life.
Be patient with yourself. You probably cannot even imagine ever being happy again. Yet people around you may be telling you to "get on with your life."
They mean well but you may not be ready for this kind of advice. Ask them to be patient with you and be patient with yourself. Tell others what you need from them at this point in time - listening, sharing memories of the person who is gone, or just being there with you and for you.
No one can predict how long the grieving process will take in any particular situation. But someday, believe it or not, you will no longer want to hold on to the pain. Gradually you will be able to accept what has happened and move beyond your sorrow.
Set little goals for yourself. Getting beyond grief takes a lot of effort. You may feel uncomfortable returning to normal activities, but getting back into a routine will help.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to set little goals each day:
Call up a friend.
Clean out a closet.
Get tickets for an event you'll enjoy.
Start a creative project.
Read a book. Click here for good teen fiction on the subject of death
As you try to accomplish your goals, you will slowly move beyond your grief, rather than allowing it to paralyze you. Doing something helpful for someone else is another good way to begin focusing outside of yourself.
Turn to God. When someone you love dies,
it's not unusual to feel angry at God: "This isn't fair! You're supposed to be a good God. Why did you let this happen?" Or you might wonder: "Are you even there, God?"
Let God know how you hurt. It's O.K. to share your pain and grief. In fact, such thoughts and feelings are a form of prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God, saying what you really feel. You don't need holy words; just speak from your heart. God understands your pain and suffers with you. Open yourself to God's healing love.
Belief in a life after death can also be a great comfort. The thought that someday you will be reunited with the person who has died can bring you peace and acceptance.
It is only natural to experience grief when a loved one dies. The National Mental Health Association, a great resource when dealing with a loss, suggests the following ways to cope with the pain:
Seek out caring people.
Express your feelings.
Take care of your own health.
Accept that life is for the living.
Avoid major life changes.
Seek outside help when necessary.
Be patient. It can take months or even years to absorb a major loss and accept your changed life.
Be patient with yourself. You probably cannot even imagine ever being happy again. Yet people around you may be telling you to "get on with your life."
They mean well but you may not be ready for this kind of advice. Ask them to be patient with you and be patient with yourself. Tell others what you need from them at this point in time - listening, sharing memories of the person who is gone, or just being there with you and for you.
No one can predict how long the grieving process will take in any particular situation. But someday, believe it or not, you will no longer want to hold on to the pain. Gradually you will be able to accept what has happened and move beyond your sorrow.
Set little goals for yourself. Getting beyond grief takes a lot of effort. You may feel uncomfortable returning to normal activities, but getting back into a routine will help.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to set little goals each day:
Call up a friend.
Clean out a closet.
Get tickets for an event you'll enjoy.
Start a creative project.
Read a book. Click here for good teen fiction on the subject of death
As you try to accomplish your goals, you will slowly move beyond your grief, rather than allowing it to paralyze you. Doing something helpful for someone else is another good way to begin focusing outside of yourself.
Turn to God. When someone you love dies,
it's not unusual to feel angry at God: "This isn't fair! You're supposed to be a good God. Why did you let this happen?" Or you might wonder: "Are you even there, God?"
Let God know how you hurt. It's O.K. to share your pain and grief. In fact, such thoughts and feelings are a form of prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God, saying what you really feel. You don't need holy words; just speak from your heart. God understands your pain and suffers with you. Open yourself to God's healing love.
Belief in a life after death can also be a great comfort. The thought that someday you will be reunited with the person who has died can bring you peace and acceptance.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
relationships
Friendships
Friendships are tricky, wonderful, complicated and beautiful all at the same time. The reason for this is because relationships involve more than one person and the ideas, beliefs or values that each different person brings with them into communion with others. There is no one person, no matter who they are, that you agree with about everything. Similarly, there is no one person that you completely disagree with about everything. Because friendships involve two or more imperfect beings, they can be complex and multifaceted.
Everyone needs friends. Even Jesus, the Son of God and the most perfect man to walk the Earth, needed friends. He enlisted the help and services of his 12 Disciples to follow and go with him during his ministry. If the Savior of the world needs friends, certainly we do too! Check out this article about the importance of friendships at Family Works.
Friendships need time and commitment. "Instant friendships" just don't happen. Think of a friendship as a seed in a garden. First, you must go out and find a seed to plant. Second, the seed must be put into good soil and then watered and cared for lovingly. Even after the seed develops into a flowering plant and appears healthy, it needs continued water, sunlight and the care of a watchful eye.
Friendships are like that. First, you must find other people with similar interests, values and goals, good seeds. Second, you need to plant those friendships in rich soil, the soil of honesty, trust, dependability and care. As the friendship grows and develops these things must continue to keep the relationship healthy. Even after many years, things such as time and commitment remain important to friendships
Friendships are tricky, wonderful, complicated and beautiful all at the same time. The reason for this is because relationships involve more than one person and the ideas, beliefs or values that each different person brings with them into communion with others. There is no one person, no matter who they are, that you agree with about everything. Similarly, there is no one person that you completely disagree with about everything. Because friendships involve two or more imperfect beings, they can be complex and multifaceted.
Everyone needs friends. Even Jesus, the Son of God and the most perfect man to walk the Earth, needed friends. He enlisted the help and services of his 12 Disciples to follow and go with him during his ministry. If the Savior of the world needs friends, certainly we do too! Check out this article about the importance of friendships at Family Works.
Friendships need time and commitment. "Instant friendships" just don't happen. Think of a friendship as a seed in a garden. First, you must go out and find a seed to plant. Second, the seed must be put into good soil and then watered and cared for lovingly. Even after the seed develops into a flowering plant and appears healthy, it needs continued water, sunlight and the care of a watchful eye.
Friendships are like that. First, you must find other people with similar interests, values and goals, good seeds. Second, you need to plant those friendships in rich soil, the soil of honesty, trust, dependability and care. As the friendship grows and develops these things must continue to keep the relationship healthy. Even after many years, things such as time and commitment remain important to friendships
Self Control
"Self Control"
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).
Indicate which of the following statements you think are true or false: 1. Drinking water can kill you. 2. A major cause of death is taking a shower.3. Bees are nice creatures who make sweet honey and can only hurt a little.4. Flying in an airplane is the safest way to travel.5. Playing with guns is dangerous and smoking causes lung cancer.6. Sunshine is dangerous.7. A ham sandwich can kill you.8. Stores aren't allowed to sell anything that's really harmful.9. Spending too much time on the internet or playing video games can hurt you.10. Dishrags have more germs than anyplace else in the house.
How do you think you did?Of course, there's nothing wrong with a ham sandwich or a little sunshine. You need to eat, right? And a day without sunshine can be depressing. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Some of the things in the list above are good things, but they can still be harmful to you if you're not careful and self-controlled. That's why self-control can be so good for you, because it can protect you from excesses and extremes. A little self-control at the computer can prevent injury to your wrists and hands. A little self-control at the beach can prevent sunburn, even skin cancer. A little self-control with the volume on your boom box or CD player can prevent you from blowin' your ear drums out!This is starting to sound like your parents, isn't it? Okay, okay. Just remember this: the devil wants to eat you up. He wants to chew you up and spit you out. And he'll use anything--even good things if he can take them to extremes--to hurt you. So be alert. Be self-controlled. Don't be devoured.
Review: Staying away from things that are obviously bad isn't too hard; it's harder to recognize otherwise good things that could still hurt us. Can you think of any examples of otherwise good or harmless things that, if taken to extreme, can hurt you?
Reflect: Have you allowed any "good things" or "harmless things" to enter your life that would be dangerous if you're not careful? Do you need to use some self-control in any of those areas? Should you ask your parents, friends, or pastor to help you learn to control any of those areas?
Reinforce: Keep a bottle of sun-tan lotion (or a ham sandwich!) on your desk or dresser to remind you of the need for self control, even over seemingly harmless habits.
Remember: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).
Indicate which of the following statements you think are true or false: 1. Drinking water can kill you. 2. A major cause of death is taking a shower.3. Bees are nice creatures who make sweet honey and can only hurt a little.4. Flying in an airplane is the safest way to travel.5. Playing with guns is dangerous and smoking causes lung cancer.6. Sunshine is dangerous.7. A ham sandwich can kill you.8. Stores aren't allowed to sell anything that's really harmful.9. Spending too much time on the internet or playing video games can hurt you.10. Dishrags have more germs than anyplace else in the house.
How do you think you did?Of course, there's nothing wrong with a ham sandwich or a little sunshine. You need to eat, right? And a day without sunshine can be depressing. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Some of the things in the list above are good things, but they can still be harmful to you if you're not careful and self-controlled. That's why self-control can be so good for you, because it can protect you from excesses and extremes. A little self-control at the computer can prevent injury to your wrists and hands. A little self-control at the beach can prevent sunburn, even skin cancer. A little self-control with the volume on your boom box or CD player can prevent you from blowin' your ear drums out!This is starting to sound like your parents, isn't it? Okay, okay. Just remember this: the devil wants to eat you up. He wants to chew you up and spit you out. And he'll use anything--even good things if he can take them to extremes--to hurt you. So be alert. Be self-controlled. Don't be devoured.
Review: Staying away from things that are obviously bad isn't too hard; it's harder to recognize otherwise good things that could still hurt us. Can you think of any examples of otherwise good or harmless things that, if taken to extreme, can hurt you?
Reflect: Have you allowed any "good things" or "harmless things" to enter your life that would be dangerous if you're not careful? Do you need to use some self-control in any of those areas? Should you ask your parents, friends, or pastor to help you learn to control any of those areas?
Reinforce: Keep a bottle of sun-tan lotion (or a ham sandwich!) on your desk or dresser to remind you of the need for self control, even over seemingly harmless habits.
Remember: "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8, NIV).
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