Its Tough Being A Teenager

“The Stereotypes of teenagers:

“Antisocial”, “Grumpy”, and “Impossible to get along with.” We have all heard them, and the ones that say: teenage girls care too much about how they look, make-up and hairstyles are the second most important thing in their life, and the most important thing is boys.

But they are not the reasons why being a teenager is so hard.

There are a lot of changes between childhood and being a teenager, and many of them are unexpected.

You start to see the world as a completely different place, a place where drinking and drugs are common problems, where peer pressure is a daily factor in many of your decisions. Friends you have known since forever begin to do things you don’t agree with, and eventually they turn into strangers. You worry about everything, about doing well at school, about being the most good – looking person in the class, about the amount of likes you get on pictures, about how many followers you have on twitter and about what other people think of you.

You spend a lot of time not even knowing how you feel. One minute you can be happy, relaxed, calm and cool, but then one short text message can leave you angry, jealous, scared, worried, and frozen. People don’t tell you when you turn thirteen that feelings can bounce and change in seconds.”

So what can help tackle these hard teenage years?

1.    Take a walk
 Slip out the door and let your feet take you somewhere. Not only will walking give you the opportunity to clear your head and take a break from all the stress, but it’s great aerobic exercise, too.

2.    Call a friend
 We all have someone whose voice alone perks us up. Give them a buzz, even for a few minutes. Whether with a joke or a funny story, or just by listening, they will likely put a smile on your face and calm you down. Besides, what are friends for?

3.    Write in a journal
 Expressing our feelings could be the best way to deal with stress. Keeping a journal is a way to capture those feelings at any moment. You don’t have to worry about what others think or say, just let your pen do the work. By the time you’re done, those feelings will be on their way out of your system.

4.    Play a board game
 Remember these? Maybe there are a dozen stashed in your closet, waiting to be dusted off. Monopoly probably should be saved until you have a few hours to spare, but quick kids’ games like Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Connect Four, or even Twister are always good for a smile.

5.     Work up a sweat
 Have some pent up frustrations? There’s no better way to get rid of them than by exercising. Pop in a workout tape, hop on your bike or grab your jump rope. You’ll be too busy working up a sweat to worry about what’s stressing you out. Picture the stress leaving your body through your pores.

6.     Plan something fun
 Is there a trip you want to take but never had time to get it together? Or a dinner you’ve always wanted to make? Now’s the time. Not only will you take your mind off things, but you’ll be spending time eagerly anticipating a great getaway or meal later. It’s a win-win situation.

7.    Take a hot bath
 A hot bath will initially give your body a kick, which in turn will give your mind a kick too – and then it’ll slow both down. Add bubbles and a few candles and you have the ultimate soothing atmosphere. A rubber ducky is optional.

 

Tips to help someone who seems down:

 Depression Alliance, a charity that provides support for people affected by depression, gives the following advice to friends, family and carers:

·         Encourage the person you're worried about to see their doctor.

·         Encourage them to talk, and listen to what they say.

·         Let them know you care about them.

·         Remind them they can't help being affected by depression.

·         Encourage them to help themselves, for example by doing regular exercise, eating a balanced diet and taking part in activities they enjoy.

·         Get information about the services available to them, such as psychological therapy services and support groups in their area.

·         Stay in contact with them by sending a card, phoning or visiting them. People who are depressed can become isolated because they often find it difficult to leave their home.
 

If you are very concerned you should speak to someone about the person, do not let yourself tackle someone’s depression alone, it’s unfair to put the pressure on you. You can always talk to a parent or guardian, teacher or friend and they can help too.

 

SELF HARMING;

Sometimes when people self-harm they intend to punish themselves, express their distress or relieve unbearable tension. Self-harm can also be a cry for help.

A survey of people aged 15-16 years carried out in the UK in 2002 estimated that more than 10% of girls and more than 3% of boys had self-harmed in the previous year.

In most cases, people who self-harm do it to help them cope with unbearable and overwhelming emotional issues, caused by problems such as:

·         social factors – such as being bullied, having difficulties at work or school, or having difficult relationships with friends or family

·         trauma – such as physical or sexual abuse, or the death of a close family member or friend

·         mental health conditions – such as depression

However, if you are someone that has come across this topic, there is always teachers or parents/guardians that you can go and talk to and they will always be ready to listen.

Easter Treats

Something for everyone; first of all an easy to make Easter basket.

Homemade Easter Bunny Basket

 

* Recycled container for basket

* White card

* Cotton ball

* Scissors

* Markers

* Glue

What to Do:

1. Measure your white paper around your container. With your scissors, cut the paper to fit the length around the whole container.

2. Colour a bunny face with your markers or crayons.

3. Using glue, attach the paper around the container.

4. Attach a cotton ball with glue to the back of the container as bunny tail.

5. Cut ears out and stick them on the front

6. Fill with a cotton wool bed and fun Easter goodies!

And an Easter treat, easy to make:

Ingredients;

·      300g dark chocolate, broken into chunks

·      100g butter, diced

·      140g golden syrup

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      200g biscuits, roughly chopped

·      100g sultanas

·      85g Rice Krispies

·      100-140g mini eggs (optional)

·       50g white chocolate, melted

Method;

1.    Line a 20 x 30cm tin with baking parchment. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth and glossy. Add the vanilla, biscuits, sultanas and Rice Krispies, and mix well until everything is coated.

2.    Tip the mixture into the tin, then flatten it down with the back of a spoon. Press in some mini eggs, if using, and put in the fridge until set. When hard, drizzle all over with the melted white chocolate and set again before cutting into chunks.

 

 

Mothers Day

 

With Mother's Day just around the corner, we've put together some thoughts for things that we could do to show our mothers how we feel about them.

 

How about these:

 

• A box of 52 of your favourite memories about your mum –one for her to read each week over the next year. 
• A now and then photo – one from when you were still a baby and she was a young mum and one of the two of you now. 
•  A table runner with all your brother and sisters hand prints on it. 
• A collection of her favourite music you remember from your childhood. 
• Pamper yourself, gifts in a jar. 

 

 

Or how about taking the time to make some nice treats for your mum? These nice biscuits are remarkably easy to make:

 

 

 

   Makes 20 

Ingredients 

150 g pecan nuts 

150 g hazelnuts 

400 g icing sugar 

100 g cocoa powder 

1/2 a teaspoon fine salt 

1 tablespoon vanilla paste 

4 large free-range eggs 

 

 

Method 

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3. Line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper. 

 

Toast the nuts in a large frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool, then roughly chop. 

 

Sieve the icing sugar, cocoa powder and salt into a large bowl, then add the chopped nuts and vanilla paste. In another bowl, separate the egg whites (save the yolks for another day), then whisk for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the dry mixture until combined. 

 

Scoop ½ a tablespoon of the mixture onto one of the prepared trays, then repeat with the remaining mixture, making sure you leave a rough 4cm gap between each spoonful (you may need to do this in batches if your trays aren't big enough). 

 

Place in the hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp on the outside, but still slightly gooey in the middle. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

 

 

New Years Resolutions - Increasing Self Confidence

Everyone has a mental picture of who they are, how they look, what their good at, and what their weaknesses might be. We develop this picture over time, starting when we're very young. The term self-image is used to refer to a person's mental picture of himself or herself. A lot of our self-image is based on interactions we have with other people and our life experiences. This mental picture contributes to our self-esteem.

 

Self-esteem is all about how much we feel valued, loved, accepted, and thought well of by others — and how much we value, love, and accept ourselves. People with healthy self-esteem are able to feel good about them, take pride in their abilities, skills, and accomplishments. People with low self-esteem may feel as if no one will like them or accept them or that they can't do well in anything.

 

Steps To Improve Self-Esteem –

• Stop thinking negative about yourself

• View mistakes as learning curves

• Try new things

• Set goals

• Take pride in your opinions/ideas

• Make a contribution

• Exercise! – It will relieve stress and make you feel happier

• Recognise what you can and can’t change

• Have Fun

New Years Resolutions - Healthy Eating

Most of us will make a New Year's resolution - maybe to lose weight, quit smoking or drink less - but only one in 10 of us will achieve our goal. Psychologists have found we're more likely to succeed if we break our resolution into smaller goals that are specific, measurable and time-based.

 

Top tips for New Years resolutions:

• Make only one resolution. Your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour.

• Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution and instead take some time out a few days before and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.

• Avoid previous resolutions. Deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.

• Don’t run with the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you really want out of life.

• Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable and time-based.

• Tell your friends and family about your goals. You're more likely to get support and want to avoid failure.

• Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim.

• Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, thus maintaining motivation and a sense of progress.

• Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal, completing a computer spreadsheet or covering a notice board with graphs or pictures.

 

• Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether.

How to make your diet better and make eating your 5-a-day easier:

• Add fruit to your cereal, oatmeal, waffles or pancakes at breakfast.

 

• Create your own yogurt flavours with plain yogurt and different combinations of fresh fruit.

• Snack on raw vegetables or fruits instead of chips or pretzels. Keep sugar snap peas, raisins or carrot sticks in your car, your office or your backpack.

• Use chunky salsa instead of thick, creamy snack dips. Drink 100% juice instead of addictive coffee, tea, or soda.

• Going out to lunch? Take a trip to the grocery salad bar. Use lots of dark green leaves and other vegetables instead of piling on all of the extras like eggs, bacon and cheese.

 

• Add frozen veggies to any pasta dish. It's an easy way to get in another serving of the good stuff.

• Keep fruits and vegetables in line of sight. Grapes, oranges, bananas, and apples make a colorful bowl arrangement on the table. If you see them, you will eat them.