Headline, September 25 2022/ ''' '' MENTAL HEALTH MEANS '' '''

''' '' MENTAL HEALTH

 MEANS '' '''

THE WORLD STUDENTS SOCIETY - is the most democratic organization in the world. Everybody is equal and happy. Everybody is delighted and honoured. Feel totally free but stay within the parameters of Greatness.

HOW TO HUG A PORCUPINE : On !WOW! only Great things are attempted, and only Great things done. !WOW! will not only make the world happier but meaningfully richer. Time to reconnect with the students. As independence grows, communication gaps will be bridged. 

RABO AND DARKSHAN AND HALEEMA AND SAHAR AND VISHNU AND LAKSHMI, HUSSAIN and the Global Founder Framers, and the students of the entire world, and, yes, of course the entire mankind as a whole..........

What exactly we should focus on to build a '' new and a better world ''. I would have trotted out the usual suspects : early childhood education, improved schools, stable families, total respect for the law, all nurturing and upholding, Mental Health. For that, I thank author David Brooks.

ESTIMATES SUGGEST THE AVERAGE amount of time adolescents spend using the screens may have doubled during the pandemic, a trend researchers say may contribute to teenagers' problems with mental health.

Trying to break through to a teenager under those circumstances can feel impossible, but strengthening an emotional bond helps in the long run. Strong parental relationships are linked to self control in teenagers, as well as higher self-esteem.

WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC BEGAN, Antoinette Taft's son student Noah, who was 12 at the time, disappeared into a world of computer screens.

He spent hours alone in his bedroom, playing Fortnite and other video games. When Ms. Taft, 50, tried to coax him out, he became indignant and pleaded for a device. At the peak, he was online for 16-17 hours a day.

''I am embarrassed to say I found out he was setting an alarm to play with his East Coast friends at 4 or 5 in the morning,'' said Ms. Taft, who lives in Albuquerque and has four other children.

She and Noah once had a warm, easy bond, but when the pandemic began she ''could not get through to him,'' Ms. Taft said. Noah, who is now 14, shirked his chores and schoolwork. When his mother tried to reason with him, he slammed doors and yelled.

For Ms. Taft, and for parents like her, maintaining a meaningful emotional connection with a teenager during the pandemic has been a herculean task.

And the roots of that disconnect may lie in children's emotional struggles : In a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one third of high schoolers said they experienced poor mental health during the pandemic; and 44 percent said they felt persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, an increase from nearly 37 percent in 2019. 

Research also suggests that adolescents generally like and admire their parents and that they want to spend time with them,  even as they figure out how to be more independent.

Several experts in adolescent development shared their strategies for finding connections with teenagers, many of whom are heading back to school for the nth time since the pandemic began.

When a young person is surly or standoffish, it may not simply be the result of their changing hormones; it is normal for young people to pull away from their parents as they develop.

Research even shows that, for instance, that adolescents' brains are hard-wired to tune out their mothers' voices in favor of other, less familiar ones.

''Every single teenager is testing the boundary of independence,'' said Dr. Jessi Gold, a psychologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

With that in mind, Julie Ross, executive director of the parents' education organization Parenting Horizons and author of  '' How to Hug a Porcupine : Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years,'' said that parents should temper their expectations about what strong connections with youngsters look and feel like.

YES, some teenagers remain very close to their parents, but it isn't necessary to have deep, meaningful conversations to maintain healthy, trusting re;ationships. 

''Teens aren't especially 'in sync' with anyone, even themselves a lot of the time,'' Ms. Ross said.

She encourages parents to strive to be attuned to their teenagers, which can involve observing their body language or the way they connect with their peers.

Pay attention to their changes in mood or behavior, such as changes in how they are doing at school or differences in eating or sleeping patterns that last for weeks or months, which may suggest larger problems such as depression or anxiety.

''If they are completely isolating themselves, or they seem really, really angry at everyone, across the board, those are red flags,'' Dr. Gold said.

Be curious about their interests : Ms. Ross says the best way to build connection with teenagers is by engaging with them about their interests. 

''That doesn't mean you have to share their interests, but she suggests that parents maintain an ''attitude of curiosity''.

When one of her children was a teenager and was invested in online games that she found incomprehensible, Ms. Ross was able to bond with them by asking questions about game strategy.

The Honour and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Teenagers and Times, and Writings, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Catherine Pearson.

With most loving and respectful dedication to the Global Founder Framers of !WOW!, and then all parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all prepare and register for happiness and Global Elections on The World Students Society - for every subject : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless