Why Teaching a Teen About How Their Brain Works Helps!
Teenage years are some of the most difficult developmentally. There are a lot of changes going on in the body due to hormonal changes, the brain rewiring, and the impact of peer pressure becomes much more prominent. This can be a time of bullying, social media struggles, and other tumultuous life changes. This can all lead to unpredictable emotions and mood swings.
So how can we help teens deal with these big feelings? Teaching teens about their brain and the changes happening can be a big help. Let’s dive more into the topic of helping teens navigate this difficult developmental time.
Emotional Understanding
Having an emotional reaction to the challenges one is facing is only natural. However, during our teenage years, these emotions can sometimes be confusing. Our emotions can be unpredictable and swing wildly, and these big emotions can surface at school or at home. Sometimes, behavioral issues can accompany these emotions, which can be destructive to relationships that really matter.
Rather than just allowing these emotions to be confusing, it’s important to teach about brain and emotional understanding. In fact, even young kindergarteners can articulate how their brain works when taught in terms they can understand. If it is possible with young students, it is possible with teenagers.
How to Teach Teens About Their Brain
Teaching teenagers about their brains and what behaviors can result can help them understand their emotions better. This understanding helps them feel more confident, which allows them to more easily regulate those emotions.
Both teachers and parents should work to help teen students understand their neurological processes in a language they can understand. Encourage them to journal about their own experiences, which can lead to discoveries about their own brain and how it works. Remember, each child is unique and not everyone has the same cookie-cutter experiences to brain rewiring and hormone changes that happen in our teenage years.
Building this knowledge in teens is intentional. Understanding of the brain’s processes leads to emotional resilience. Informed teens are more empowered, and therefore better able to regulate their unpredictable emotions. With knowledge of how their brain works, they are able to find ways to regulate their erratic emotions and behavior.
Final Thoughts
Building emotional resilience and understanding can lead to empowered and regulated teenagers. When teens feel confident in dealing with their unpredictable emotions, it allows them to focus on building healthy relationships with others, from peers to the adults in their life. It also allows them to focus more on becoming productive members of society!
