Who needs self care? Often times you think it needs to be a stressed out adult working a job, raising a family, and possibly going through a mid life crisis. But did you know that it is just as important for teens to practice self care?
Teens are under an immense amount of stress and pressure. They are surrounded by pressures of school, peer relationships, and self discovery. Schedules can include a full day of school, socializing, participating in activities, and even work. Through this all, they have to navigate a world of understanding who they are, what they want to become, and how to fit in.
Self Care is important for teenagers to alleviate stress, help with depression, and help them ground themselves in healthy habits.
Best Habits of Self Care For Teens
- Practice Every Day – start building these habits as a teen. Then as they grow into adults, they have a solid foundation of healthy habits.
- Short Amounts of Time – self care is not the same as what they see on social media. It doesn’t have to be weekend trips to the mountains, or week long yoga retreats. Small chunks of 10-15 minutes a day can have a great impact.
- What Brings You Joy – Discuss the items that bring you joy and practice them. THis could be simply petting your dog for 10 minutes. Reading a book without interruption or listening to music and dancing.
- Identify Your Stress – Know yourself and what causes the greatest stress. What drains your energy. Once you have identified this, you can be mindful about completing these activities.
Activities for Teen Self Care
Are you at a loss of what activities you could do for self care? Check out these amazing ideas.
Self Care Ideas
Find a list of 80 self care activities here from Kiddie Matters.
Nature
Don’t underestimate the power of getting outdoors. It may be difficult to get them to put down their devices, but Thimble and Twig have some great ideas here.
Pet Therapy
That’s right, find some time for puppy love. You can visit a local human society, or shelter to get your fix with the puppies or kittens. Many pet stores will also host meet and greets. Check out what might be in your area.
Exercise
Some teens are natural born athletes. Others may need a bit more motivation. Either way, exercise is a great way to take care of your mind and body. Check out these fun workouts from Very Well Fit.
Yoga
You can find excellent videos on You Tube for beginner yoga. This one is specifically made for teens.
And here is another video to try out.
Time with Friends
Spending time with friends can also be a form of self care. They can grab coffee, go on hikes, gaming like Dungeons and Dragons or do projects together. Check out these projects for Ann Arbor Art.
Volunteer
When teens contribute to their communities, they feel a sense of purpose which can help raise self confidence and bolster their happiness. Check out these volunteer opportunities for teens.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be practiced at any age. Here are 11 Mindfulness Activities specifically for teens from Happier Human.
