MANAGING TEEN STRESS
MANAGING TEEN STRESS
by Jen Buettner
Check out the highlights of an excellent presentation about assisting in the management of your teenager’s
transitions (and the often accompanying stress and anxiety) that was recently attended by one of our nurses:
“While an adolescent remains inconsistent and unpredictable in her behavior, she may
suffer, but she does not seem to me to be in need of treatment. I think that she should
be given time and scope to work out her own solution. Rather, it may be her parents
who need to help and guidance so as to be able to bear with her. There are few
situations in life which are more difficult to cope with that an adolescent son or
daughter during the attempt to liberate themselves.”-Anna Freud (1958), “Adolescence”*
*Here and elsewhere Lisa Damour revised the 1958-style default to male pronouns by
placing “her” and “she” where Ms. Freud had “his” and “he”. This is referenced in her
Untangled Book: Guiding teenage girls through the seven transitions to adulthood.
Lisa Damour, Ph.D. graduated with honors from Yale University, worked for the Yale
Child Study Center, then received her doctorate from University of Michigan. She is
the author of numerous academic papers related to education and child development.
She currently directs Laurel School’s Center for Research on girls, maintains a private
psychotherapy practice, consults and speaks internationally, and is a senior advisor at
the Schubert Center for Child Studies and a clinical instructor at Case Western
Reserve University. She and her husband have 2 daughters and live in Shaker Heights,
Ohio.
She recently spoke at Lake Forest Country Day School and like her writing style, her
lecture was filled with imagery and realistic scenarios to provide welcome advice to
all in attendance. The crowd of educators, therapists, parents, and middle schoolers
intently listened as she tried explain how stress and anxiety can be positive aspects in
our life that provides us with opportunities to adapt to change and in some cases
anxiety can make us more durable and resilient in life situations. When stress and
anxiety is chronic and/or due to trauma, we need to seek help.
She shared her salient advice with the audience and recommended the following
article to read:
How to Help Teens Weather Their Emotional Storms
A D.I.Y snow globe full of glitter is an apt metaphor for the emotional chaos of the
adolescent brain.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/well/family/how-to-help-teens-weather-their-emotional-storms.html
Why does a gastroenterology practice care about teen anxiety and stress? Well, the mind and gut
are very closely intertwined. We know that anxiety can increase gut symptoms and gut symptoms can increase anxiety. Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia that
affect 15% of the population, especially teenagers, often require as much (if not more) attention to
the mind-gut connection that the GI tract itself.
If you know that anxiety impacts your gut symptoms (or your teenager), we are very happy to help
navigate these challenging waters with our comprehensive team that includes a counselor,
registered dietitian, and a gastroenterologist. Call 224.407.4400 or visit compgihealth.com to learn
more!