According to the U.S. Government Forum On Child And Family Statistics, 8 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds experienced a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in 2007. Because depression can have a significant impact on your teenager's development and well-being, affect her school performance and contribute to health problems such as asthma and obesity, it's important that you encourage your children to pursue activities that yield therapeutic benefits, such as exercise, art and time spent in the great outdoors.
Regular Exercise
According to KidsHealth.org, teenagers should get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous exercise each day. If you're a teenager, the rewards and benefits of daily participation in exercise activities include the following: A healthier and stronger body and mind, improved appearance and increased self-esteem, an improved ability to manage weight, a reduced likelihood of developing illness and chronic disease and an increased likelihood that you'll age well.
Participation in regular exercise stimulates your body to produce endorphins, which help enhance your mood and make you feel more peaceful and happy. Exercise can also help you sleep better, which is important during your growing years, and it can help relieve any mild depression you might be experiencing. The sense of accomplishment you experience from achieving an exercise-related goal is an intangible benefit that can be therapeutic too.
Exploration of the Arts
A 2001 study by Shirley Riley in the "Western Journal of Medicine," concluded that clinical art therapy can be therapeutic for adolescents, who typically view this style of intervention as nonthreatening. The art created by your adolescent can help his therapist get a better sense of his concerns and life experiences, especially those incidents that are too risky or embarrassing to reveal through verbal communication. Of course, your teenager does not have to be suffering from depression or a lack of self-esteem for him to derive significant therapeutic benefits from arts-based participation, whether it be playing an instrument, performing in a high school drama club or practicing creative writing. Art has the ability to engage young minds and cultivate creativity, both of which can lead to the experience of "flow," a term coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychology professor at Claremont Graduate University and author of "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience."
Outdoor Appreciation
According to a March 21, 2001, article by Patrick O'Driscoll for "USA Today," the 2000 census revealed that the population of the United States is continuing to shift from rural areas to urban areas. As more teenagers grow up in cities, disconnected, in many ways, from the natural world around them, increased levels of alienation and feelings of despair are likely to manifest in our youth.
According to the nonprofit organization Culture Change, the average urban dweller's relationship with the natural world continues to deteriorate, and some have become so used to living in contradiction with nature that they have lost an appreciation and awareness for the natural world. Engaging in restorative outdoor-related activities, such as camping, canoeing or trekking, or just simply spending time outdoors, away from the clamor of the city, can have a significant impact on your teenager's mental outlook.
References
- U.S. Government Forum On Child And Family Statistics: Adolescent Depression
- KidsHealth.org: Why Exercise Is Wise
- "Journal of Western Medicine;" Art Therapy With Adolescents; 2001
- "USA Today;" Census Shows How Continuing Rural-To-Urban Shift; Mar. 21, 2001
- Culture Change: "Separation From Nature" Impossible Despite Rising Social Alienation
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