Between physical, social and emotional changes, adolescents sail in an ocean of uncertainties. A neuropsychologist delivers his best advice to help them, as a parent, to go through this difficult period. Only one sentence is enough.
College is a difficult course. Teens, whether girls or boys, live multiple transformations. It is at this age that many begin to feel social pressures: the quest for a place among their peers, the need for external validation, the fear of judgment, etc. This transition period fuels growing anxiety, accentuated by their need for independence and to forge their own identity. But, paradoxically, this quest for autonomy often leads them to lock themselves in silence, making communication with parents difficult. Familiar questions such as “How was your day?” seem to face a wall. And this silence, although interpreted as a desire for distance, actually masks a multitude of doubts and fears that young people have trouble expressing.
First of all, as Dr. Sanam Hafez, neuropsychologist, points out, you should know that young people generally have the idea that expressing their emotions is a form of weakness. Culture values autonomy, strength and self -control, making the expression of feelings difficult. This pressure generates an accumulation of stress, capable of harming their mental well-being and their social relationships. In addition, for many, self -esteem is intimately linked to external criteria: academic performance, sports successes, or even social status. This is why, by encouraging adolescents to express their emotions, to talk about their fears and doubts, parents allow them to enhance their self -esteem.
But that’s not all. The specialist also insists on the importance of this approach for the development of empathy. By expressing their emotions in a healthy way, young people develop a better understanding of the feelings of others. They are less inclined to adopt hardness or aggression behaviors, reactions often dictated by toxic social standards. By learning to listen and respect their own emotions, they become able to do the same with those of others, thus creating more balanced and respectful relationships. So what is this sentence that will allow a teenager to overcome his anxieties? “Talking about your feelings makes you strong, not weak“, Dictates Sanam Hafez.
A sentence which, repeated with benevolence, helps to demotify emotional expression and to show the adolescent that it is not only normal, but above all essential to its well-being. In this context, parents play a key role by offering their children a framework in which they will feel safe to share their emotions. To remember.