Stop Running (and other holiday tips for you and your teen)

Here are five tips on how to have a rejuvenating winter break and successful transition into 2019:

1. Plan ahead

It is difficult for anyone to have a true break unless they plan ahead. We all have lists that need attending to and projects that need to get done. Therefore, schedule this week of relaxation.  It is okay if you have to work harder or more on the weekends leading up to this break; that sacrifice will be worth it. Prioritize what must get done before winter break and what can wait until the New Year. Accept that you will mostly likely still have items on your “to-do” list…and that’s OK!

2. Make your own personal happiness list

As a society I think we often prioritize productivity over happiness.  Many of us have fallen into a trap where happiness is linked to productivity. Instead, I want us to experience happiness for the sake of being happy. For many, this feels odd and will take practice, but if you can regularly engage in activities that bring you joy, you will have better mental health. For one week over break do something on your “happiness list” every day.

3. Schedule daily “relaxation time”

I know most of us, myself included, do not take time to relax daily. But regular relaxation is such an important part of maintaining your mental health. This could be (but is not limited to) deep breathing, guided meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, visualizations or yoga. Just 5-10 minutes a day can have a huge impact on your nervous system. The daily routine of being able to sit alone and feel content with the person that you are (flaws and all) and still have a vision of who you want to be is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. Relaxation is especially important for teens.

4. End each day with gratitude

For most it is much easier to identify what isn’t going well in our lives rather than what is. What isn’t going well nags on us daily, we get constant life reminders of what we wish we could change or improve, but focusing on the negative is mentally exhausting. We all have something in our life that is causing us stress and we wish would disappear or change. However, I also believe that even in our darkest and most desperate times, there is also good. Take time to record the good, however small or insignificant it may seem, and read the list daily.  This is a great way to shift your mindset and retrain your brain to focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

5. Exercise and Sleep

Exercise and sleep both have significant effects on your physical and mental health.  I would urge everyone, not just teens, to set a goal for 2019 regarding an exercise and sleep routine.  Exercising 30 minutes three to five times a week has tremendous mental health benefits and has been found as effective as medication when treating mild anxiety and depression.

It is recommended that teens get 8-10 hours of sleep per night. However, with hectic schedules, tremendous amounts of homework, extracurriculars and early school start times, most teenagers have a sleep debt. Lack of proper sleep leads to changes in mood, increased irritability, trouble concentrating, increases in risk-taking behavior and reduced athletic and academic performance.