Adults can help teenagers remain calm and stay focused on their ability to prevent the coronavirus. Teenagers are especially sensitive to the current situation, and we have collected five points to support them with:
- Normalize Anxiety: It is important to clarify that anxiety is a normal and useful reaction to news about the coronavirus. This discomfort could be channelled into concrete steps, like following health guidelines.
- Offer Perspective: Keep healthy anxiety at an appropriate level – don't let teenagers overestimate the dangers and underestimate their role in protecting themselves. Adults might say 'these days the health risk is very low', but you can decrease this risk even further by practicing proper hygiene and immune system protection.
- Shift the Spotlight: According to research, teenagers feel better when they can support others in difficult times. Nowadays, this means that hand washing or observing health recommendations is not just self-protection, but a gesture towards the community. We can emphasize that personal sacrifice is needed to keep the community healthy – for example, postponing a vacation.
- Encourage Distraction: Clear information about the coronavirus is helpful, but rumours and unreliable sources will only increase your teenager's anxiety. Help your teen navigate the news for reliable sources of information. In cases when teenagers feel highly anxious about Covid-19, try to distract their attention with other activities – such as doing their homework – rather than scanning the news for more information about the virus.
- Manage Your Own Anxiety: Teenagers immediately notice when adults say one thing and feel another. Try to remain calm by following the aforementioned strategies.
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