Is Your Teen Overscheduled?

Teens in communities around the country are thriving, high-achieving, and motivated individuals due in part to the diverse activities that are offered for extracurricular activities. Depending on where you lived back in the day, there were only a certain amount of activities that were usually indigenous to that area. With the internet and social media being the main contributor to news and information these days, the door has been opened for more interest in activities all around causing life to become extremely busier for many American teens.
The quest to-do-it all has become a normal rite of passage for the teen who wishes to become famous, strives to be an influencer, or has a dream to be a star athlete. Parents are told to support their adolescents in whatever their goals are in, but the problem with this is sometimes a teen becomes overscheduled which can cause problems when all the activities become too much for them to handle.
Crash and burn
If the teen is all about the goal, they may be missing out on the fun that a teen should be having. While practicing and working towards their goals are important, so is making sure they are enjoying what they are doing, or otherwise, they could burn out and not use their gift to the full potential.Lack of Self-care
Teenagers are in their most formative years meaning their bodies and minds are growing at a fast pace and need to be taken care of. They still need structure in their schedule to balance sleep, meals, physical activity, family-time, and downtime that is technology-free. Parents are also guilty of overscheduling their lives and could be instrumental in modeling the balance of self-care to help everyone in the family be the best versions of themselves.Overly stressed
The teens years are for having fun and if a teen is too caught up in the success and competition of their activities, they could have increased anxiety. Often this can lead to panic attacks, depression, or substance abuse to cope with the stress they are feeling in situations that even adults have a hard time maneuvering. Parents should take an overall look to see how the activities in their teen's lives are affecting them mentally and physically. Teens need to be a kid and have the joy of doing the normal things that they can only participate in that era of their lives.Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center leads the way with progressive, evidence-based programming to most effectively treat each individual adolescent while focusing on the uniqueness of each client. Healing the mind, the body, and the spirit as one in the same can make the biggest difference in staying sober.
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