When a teenage boy is going through a moment of depression or anxiety, we often feel like he is just, “being a teen.” However, teenage boys often go through emotional highs and lows due to stress. Add substance use into the mix and the situation becomes even more challenging. Stress management techniques for teens is a good way to teach adolescent boys how to manage the symptoms of stress, anxiety, or depression.

Many of the stress management techniques for teen boys are easy to learn and can be applied in real-world situations. If your teenage son gets stressed out, he can restore balance or peace by learning these simple stress-reducing strategies. To learn more about teen therapy, call us today at 828.519.5047.

Stress and Substance Use

Anyone can fall victim to stress, but it does affect teens with a substance use disorder differently.  Drug or alcohol use stimulates the release of a feel-good chemical in the brain. That’s what leads to dependence on a substance. The body likes the way that feels, so it makes you want that sensation again and again.

The changes in the brain make someone suffering from a substance use disorder more susceptible to stress. When that happens, they look to calm themselves, usually by with a drug or alcohol, which, in turn, creates more stress. This creates a cycle of abuse.

When you tack on the normal stress adolescent boys feel from school, with family or peers, and even with their changing bodies, it’s clear why stress management is an integral part of a teen therapy program.

Relaxation and Stress Management Techniques For Teen Boys

One of the many perils of addiction is that it causes you to cope with negative thoughts, feelings, and events by using your substance of choice. Addiction can prevent you from developing healthy coping strategies, such as stress management techniques. During addiction and recovery, stress, such as major life changes or financial problems, can increase cravings.

Substance abuse treatment programs utilize stress management techniques to help you learn how to cope with external factors that jeopardize your sobriety. Emotions like stress can become overwhelming during recovery, which places you at risk of relapsing.

Stress management techniques can involve both evidence-based and holistic therapies. Evidence-based therapies, like cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy, help you learn how to identify and change negative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Holistic stress management techniques, like deep breathing and meditation, provide an easy and effective way to relax when you are exposed to triggers and stress. Stress management techniques can include things like exercising and listening to music, making it easy to implement these strategies into your daily routine.

Sleep and Stress Management Techniques For Teens

On average teenage boys get six to seven hours of sleep. However, their bodies require nine to ten hours of sleep each night. The demands of jobs, homework, technology, and social life can drastically reduce how much sleep a teenager gets each week. Furthermore, teens may go several consecutive days without getting a good night’s rest.

Lack of sleep can reduce a teenager’s mental and emotional stability. They cannot handle daily stress simply because they are too tired to ‘deal with it’. Teen boys require regular rest so that they can develop mentally and emotionally into adulthood.

How Foothills at Red Oak Recovery® Can Help

Foothills at Red Oak Recovery® works with teenage boys ages 14 to 17. We are redefining the clinical experience for teens because they are our primary focus. We only treat adolescents, so we understand how stress impacts their lives.

Services at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery® include:

• Family therapy – Strengthen relationships and improve communication within your family with our tailored family therapy sessions.
• Individual therapy – Focus on personal growth and emotional well-being through one-on-one therapy with our experienced professionals.
• Group therapy – Connect with peers, share experiences, and build a supportive community through group therapy sessions.
• Continued education – Stay on track academically while focusing on recovery with our continued education programs.
• Psychological testing – Gain deeper insights into mental health with our comprehensive psychological testing and assessments.

We believe that education is the cornerstone of stress management for teen boys. At Foothills at Red Oaks Recovery®, they learn coping skills that help them manage stress. They also come to understand how stress fits in with their substance use.

The therapeutic programs at Foothill at Red Oak Recovery® include trauma, family, mental health, substance abuse, process addiction (video games), and disorder eating. Our staff understands how the mind of a teen works and the anxiety they feel.

Foothills at Red Oak Recovery® Provides Stress Management for Teenagers

Would you like to learn more about stress management techniques for your teenage son? If so, call Foothills at Red Oak Recovery® today. We offer comprehensive treatment for both addiction and mental disorders. We can help your teenage son end his addiction to drugs or alcohol. Call 828.519.5047 to find out more about treatment options.