There has recently been a lot of coverage about how social media is negatively affecting today’s youth. Late last year, the cover of Time magazine was titled, “Anxiety, Depression and the American Adolescent”. Clearly, the advancement of technology is something that impacts us all. Time’s article highlights how modern technology, virtual reality and over-stimulation are some of the more meaningful reasons why anxiety and depression have become so prevalent among teens.
If you’re worried that your teen is addicted to social media and uses it define themselves, this article is for you.
Below you’ll find 5 ways social media is affecting kids and what you can do about it.
Read more: 5 Ways Social Media Has Increased Anxiety & Depression for Kids Today
Don't lose hope! You CAN beat your addiction.
Addiction treatment today has a one size fits all mentality. Insurance companies will only reimburse those institutions that follow the 12-step model of Alcoholics Anonymous. If you've known anyone who has gone to a substance abuse treatment facility, you've probably heard the gripe that they're forced to partake in the 12-step model of recovery.
This means joining AA or NA, which, for some, just isn't a good fit. In many cases, they're told this is the only way to truly recover. But this narrow approach has failed many — forcing an addict to do anything is a recipe for disaster.
Instead, educate the individual and let them make an informed decision. As someone who's worked in inpatient and outpatient drug treatment settings, I believe there are other ways to recover from addiction. I developed a program called Transformative Recovery based on these 11 tenants:
1. The Desire To Change
No matter what program or situation you put yourself in, if you don’t want to change, you won'…
In my practice I focus on solutions. One of the best things we can do to improve our well being is to have a routine focused on positivity and progress. Today I will give you 5 things you can do in the morning to be happier and thrive.
Read more: How to start your day off right and change your life
Sometimes we feel life keeps handing us lemons and we want to give up. This can be an opportunity to change our perspective and grow. There is an exercise I like to use and have shared with many client’s. When I feel like something is a problem or a mistake it is important to reframe it and turn a negative into a positive. The exercise is called, "Look for the Lesson and the Gift" and can be found in Marci Shimoff’s book, Happy for No Reason Try it and see what it can do for you. Soon, it will become second nature and automatically done in your mind.
EMDR consists of the following processes:
Read more: EMDR(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)