Parent Education and Support

Supporting your teen during coronavirus

Between the non-stop media coverage, the physical distancing guidelines and the general uncertainty around school and business closures, we know it’s a very challenging time to be parenting a teenager.

It can be really difficult to know how to talk to your teen about coronavirus (COVID-19), especially if you’re feeling stressed about it yourself. While you can do your best to remain calm, it's very understandable if you find having these conversations challenging. There may be stress around either having to work from home while your teen is around, or job loss or financial stressors. For tips on how to talk to your teen about money issues, go here. 

If starting this conversation feels too hard right now, you can connect with an experienced family professional through our free, online One-on-one Support service.

Manage your own feelings

Children and young people are really good at picking up on their parent's feelings, so take some time to work through them. Remember that it’s okay to feel stressed, and to show your young person how you are managing those feelings.

Some ways to do this include:

• Write down what you’re feeling and reflect on why you feel this way.
• Share your thoughts and feelings with a trusted friend or family member. This could be over the phone or via video chat if there is no one in your household you can talk with.
• Practise self-care, such as doing some exercise, making home-cooked meals and getting enough sleep.

Know the facts about COVID-19

Inform yourself about the facts from trusted sources, such as Healthdirect (for Australian health advice related to coronavirus) and World Health Organization (WHO). Be aware that things may change rapidly, so be sure to have the most up-to-date information.

Knowing the facts will make you more confident about keeping the discussion rational. It’s likely that your teen has been consuming constant COVID-19 content on social media, so it’s important to try and keep the panic levels down. That said, it's understandable if you're stressed about the situation and of course advice must be taken seriously. 

Here is some essential information about coronavirus as background for your discussions:

• COVID-19 has affected a lot of people recently. The majority of those who get COVID-19 experience only a mild illness. Health experts are working hard to develop treatments and a vaccine.
• You can reduce your risk of getting the virus by practising healthy hygiene habits. For example, cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow (and dispose of the tissue immediately afterwards); don’t touch your mouth, nose and eyes; and wash your hands with soap and water frequently for at least 20 seconds.
• Listen to the advice from the government, Healthdirect and WHO – they are the experts and will tell us what we need to do.

Get extra support

As we’ve never dealt with something like this before, it may feel overwhelming, even if you’ve been practising your parenting skills. As most people will be physically distancing or self-isolating, telephone and online services are great options.

Jump on to the ReachOut Parents Forums to connect safely with other parents and learn from them how they’re managing the stress of parenting teens through this challenging time.

You can also access our ReachOut Parents free One-on-one Support program over the phone and online. You’ll be able to connect with an experienced family professional who will listen, guide you through identifying your specific challenges, suggest practical strategies you can try and provide evidence-based resources.

Lifeline (13 11 14) and Parentline can be accessed for phone and online counselling, with Lifeline phone counsellors on call from 7 pm to midnight, and Kids Helpline available 24/7. If it’s available to you, you could consider calling your GP or mental health professional for extra help (but make sure to follow the advice of Healthdirect if you’re showing symptoms or are in self-isolation). You could also ask your mental health professional if they could chat over Skype/FaceTime if you’re in self-isolation.

For other resources from Reach Out please follow this link 

Help your child develop coping skills for stress

Teens coping with stress in a healthy way involves building stress-reducing strategies. This can mean helping your child to identify what is causing them stress, and what actions are within their control to manage it. If you're not sure how to cope with teenage stress, it can help to talk with them about the following things:

What are the things causing them stress?

Is it something they can control, such as feeling unprepared for exams, or is it something outside of their control, such as world events?

If the cause of the stress is within their control, assure them that there are things they can put in place to help, and that you’ll be there to offer them support.

Encourage them to write down the things that are within their control and discuss together how they will manage them. For example, if your child is stressed about doing badly at school, help them to identify what they need to do to succeed. You can then make a plan together to help them achieve that result.

Encouraging your child to write down the things that are causing them to feel stressed and then working through them in this structured way will help them become aware of what they can do to keep stress under control, and will give them confidence that they’ll be able to get through stressful times.

You might also want to suggest that your teen consider adopting some mindfulness techniques, including deep breathing or meditation. If their anxiety seems to go beyond normal feelings of stress, you might consider encouraging them to see a medical professional such as your GP.

Find out more at: https://parents.au.reachout.com/common-concerns/everyday-issues/things-to-try-stress/help-your-child-develop-coping-skills-for-stress

Body Image 

Our body image is formed by the thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs we have about our bodies and how we look. This includes our shape, size, weight, gender identity, and the way our body functions for us. Attached is a great resource from the Butterfly Foundation with tips for Parents.