Changing Negative Mindsets: Practices to Improve Teens’ Emotional Wellbeing

Have you noticed patterns in the way your kids, especially adolescents, respond when they do poorly on a test, on the sports field, or in a new relationship? What do they say to themselves? Do they magnify the importance of the incident, telling themselves that they will never succeed again? Or do they descend into catastrophic thinking about how they’ll never get into a good college or find a decent job? Or maybe they are such perfectionists that they think they have failed even when they haven’t?   These mindsets or automatic cognitive distortions often trigger intense emotions of inadequacy, embarrassment or shame, undermining the person’s mental health and wellbeing. Maybe you experience these same negative mindsets and distorted thoughts yourself, with the same browbeating and shame you see in your kids. That is not unusual. But the good news is that psychological research has shown that changing those patterns of thinking is possible. And changed thoughts can lead to changed feelings and improved mental health, for kids and adults.   Dr. Stuart Slavin, this week’s Mom Enough guest, has been doing research to understand the link between mindsets and mental health in teens. And, in an exciting new line of research, he is studying how a brief workshop for teens, with one follow-up session, can help them build positive mindsets and rise above the cognitive distortions that leave them feeling so bad about themselves. Don’t miss this interesting and hopeful discussion, which includes practical information and insights that can help not only the teens in your household, but parents too.     WHAT STEPS WILL YOU TAKE TO CHANGE NEGATIVE MINDSETS OR HELP YOUR TEEN DO THE SAME?   When you make a significant mistake or experience a failure (or even just think you have failed), what are the automatic thoughts that come into your head? Write down some of the things you say to yourself in those situations. How are your own mindsets or automatic thoughts similar to or different from the ways you see your kids responding to mistakes or failures? Are there mindsets or automatic thoughts you would like to change? How could you and your kids work together to try replace those negative messages with more positive ones – maybe the kinds of encouraging things you would say to a dear friend who was feeling inadequate, ashamed or hopeless because of a perceived failure?     WANT TO LEARN MORE?   ❉ TEEN ANXIETY & DEPRESSION: WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHAT CAN WE DO? Dr. Stuart Slavin joins Mart & Erin to share insights from recent research on teen anxiety and depression. He outlines the factors that contribute to mental health challenges among adolescents, including activities, demands, and sources of stress in their lives. And, he discusses the important role of mindsets to mental health. Tune in to hear what the data show and what we can do about it.   ❉ SOCIAL MEDIA’S IMPACT ON CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH: PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR FAMILIES. Mom Enough, co-hosts Dr. Marti Erickson and Dr. Erin Erickson bring their own professional expertise and personal experience to their discussion of this important topic. They talk about what parents and kids need to know about the addictive power of social media and the ways social media platforms use sophisticated algorithms to maximize the time both young people and adults spend on social media. Most important, they offer effective ways to engage kids (and all family members) in reflecting on their own social media use and coming up with strategies for managing their use in ways that are healthy and balanced....