At Foothills at Red Oak Recovery, we help teen boys recover from alcohol and drug dependency and teach coping skills for teens in Ellenboro, NC. If you or your child have a substance abuse disorder or co-occurring substance and mental health disorders, this is a safe place to heal. The facility, which lies on a working horse farm, includes equine therapy and teaches teen boys ages 14 to 17 valuable skills to helps them resist a relapse.
Factors that Cause Stress in Teenagers
Teenagers face enormous pressures every day. With family, school, and peer pressures weighing down on them, they need all the love and support they can get. Sources of stress that demand coping skills for teens include:
- Academic demand
- Hormonal changes
- Chronic illness in the family
- Negative self-image
- Over-extension of extra-curricular activities
- Frustration with friends
- Unsafe neighborhood
- Divorced, uninvolved parent
- Death of a relative
- Food insecurity
What Happens to Our Bodies During Stress
Teenage boys, like their adult counterparts, sometimes become overloaded with frustration and stress. This can lead to feelings of aggression, withdrawal, anxiety, nausea, and poor coping skills. When teens lack coping skills, they become overloaded, which can lead to drug and alcohol abuse. Healthy coping skills for teens can help prevent substance abuse disorders or reduce the risk of relapse for those in recovery.
Following painful situations, stress floods our bodies and minds, and our bodies prepare to flee from danger, thanks to a throwback to our cave-dwelling days. Called the “fight, flight, or freeze” response, reactions include increased blood flow to the muscles and faster breathing. This also translates to clammy hands, faster heart rate, and a sense of fear.
Coping skills for teens trigger the mechanisms that turn off the body’s stress response. Once the brain communicates that the situation is not dangerous, physiological changes begin in the body and mind that lead to a calmer demeanor. Called relaxation response, it includes a slow breathing rate and a sense of well-being and hope. Fortunately, teens can develop stress management skills and other ways of dealing with fear or uncertainty.
Coping Skills for Teens
Parents and other respected adults can help young men develop coping skills for teens, such as:
- Monitor the impact of stress on thoughts, behavior, and feelings
- Listen carefully to what a teenager says about the effect of stress in their lives
- Master stress and anger management skills
- Participate in sports and social activities
Teens can counter the reactions to stress with the following good habits:
- Exercise and eat healthy food
- Get enough sleep
- Avoid consuming too much caffeine, which triggers stress and anxiety
- Avoid Illicit tobacco, drugs, and alcohol which heighten emotions instead of calming them down
Coping Skills Taught at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery
Practice makes perfect. At Foothills at Red Oak Recovery, coping skills for teens are integral to all of our recovery programs. Clients learn relaxation exercises and develop assertiveness rather than aggression, learning to state their feelings in firm, polite ways.
Participants rehearse stressful situations to learn how they can take control of the situation. For example, large tasks are easier when broken down into smaller, attainable chunks. Clients learn to feel confident in their ability to relieve their own stress and to deescalate stressful situations with adults and other teens.
Learn about our programs designed specifically with the needs of teenage boys in mind. Gender-specific recovery programs allow young men to feel more comfortable expressing their emotions without the distractions that arise in a mixed-gender environment. Contact Foothills at Red Oak Recovery at 866.300.5275 for help with substance abuse disorders for yourself or your child.
