Teens, Stress & Anxiety

I just recently read an article in The New York Times about the number of teens who are experiencing severe anxiety. And my first thought, was how horrible that so many young people have to deal with what can be a debilitating disorder, but also what can we do, as a library, to help.

Granted, I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I’m thinking about creating a series of programming about teaching teens about organization, mindfulness/meditation, the importance of taking your mind and body to be healthy. With social media and the pressures that go along with it constantly vying for children and teens’ attention every minute of every day. Children and teens need to learn skills that help them cope withe constant need to “keep up with the Jones” and the amount of pressure they put on themselves to constantly succeed.

My personal opinion is that today many teens feel this constant need to succeed, but have such a strong fear of failure that when it inevitably happens, they freeze and aren’t sure what to do next. I’d love to create a series of programs that address these types of issues and that can help teens navigate the world of constantly being connected to everyone around them and provide them with tools for relaxation, organization and just being mindful of how your body is reacting to the pressure – go for a run, listening to music, creating art – finding a healthy outlet for the stress.

As I ramble through this post, I’m not sure exactly what type of programs to offer or how to actually get teens to attend them, but I think it’s something we need to do further research on and look into offering something that might be able to help a teen or two. So, if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them!