Mental health challenges are rampant amongst our youth. All we want, as individuals and as parents, is for today’s youth to be healthy and happy.

Ironically, if we improved our own mental health, as adults, in the ways I discuss, we could set the example for today’s youth to do the same. But some of us still struggle with helping them, even if we are feeling our best, which is why I knew having these mental health tips for teens could be helpful! 

Here are the 10 best mental health tips for teens:

1. Dietary Improvements Are Crucial – They need less packaged foods and more natural, alive, good quality food, preferably organic. Protein every three hours regulates their blood sugar. They need to know the foods to which they are reacting adversely; wheat can be a huge culprit for anxiety, acne, weight gain and more. And remember that certain supplements can improve their mental health, such as Vitamin D, B-Complex, Magnesium and fish oils!  


2. Increase Consumption of Filtered Water – Water detoxifies the blood and tissues and eliminates waste from the body. Water decreases stress! It increases energy because it extracts nutrients from foods and transports them to our cells. They will usually agree to drinking more water and making dietary changes if their symptoms bother them enough! 🙂
   


3. Manage Technology – Teens often need something to motivate them to limit their phone time – my youngest has an app that plants trees, the longer she stays off her phone! Both my girls are busy working and doing what they love, which prevents them from spending too much time on their phones, gaming or comparing themselves to others on social media.
   


4. Implement Stress Releasing and Centering Techniques – There needs to be ways for your teen to manage their stress and process their pain. You might teach them about journaling, listening to meditation or mindfulness apps or the importance of rest and sleep. You might take them for regular massages or chiropractic care to relax their nervous system.   
   


5. Teach Ways for Handling Negative People and Situations – Teens need to know that when others outwardly criticize others, are negative or angry, they are unhappy with themselves; it never has anything to do with the “target”. Happy people don’t spend their time putting others down or remaining angry at others; they just don’t.  
   


6. Keep World Politics Out of Your Home – When I suggest not watching the news, I hear “I need to know what’s going on.” Even if you watched the news every day, would you REALLY know what’s going on?  The news increases our fear. You will hear the big news in other ways; trust me! We need to focus on making the difference we each came here to make.
   


7. Create More Opportunities for Socializing – You may need to come up with fun ideas for your teen to do with their friends or invite family or friends over to your place. Take your teen with you to the gym, an art class or a play. Go on a road trip with them.
   


8. Increase Exercise and Movement – If you are active, you greatly increase the chances your teen will be active. Brainstorm to come up with a few sports your son or daughter might enjoy doing with you or their friends. They can exercise while listening to music or even in front of the television i.e. rowing, running on a treadmill or jumping on a mini trampoline!
   


9. Teach The Value of Having Faith – Some can’t believe that if there was a God we would experience this much pain but isn’t it man that causes and/or struggles to overcome our pain? If it would help your teen to put their faith in someone outside of themselves, would you consider it? There are church services now at some of the Cineplex movie theatres!
   


10. Find More Ways of Having Fun – If you are excited about life, you increase the chances your teen will be excited too! Play games, make jokes, and lighten things up. Help your son or daughter discover their talents, their creativity using their hands and minds, and what truly FILLS THEM UP inside. If they can uncover that, their mental health will literally skyrocket.

I wouldn’t deign to have all the answers as to how to turn things around for your individual son or daughter but I am hoping that these mental health tips for teens will inspire you to come up with some ideas to help your teen become the happiest possible. Maybe you will decide to print this list of mental health tips for teens and have a family meeting in order to come up with some strategies for turning things around in your household.

One thing is for sure, you don’t want to look back and regret not having the conversation with your teen on how to achieve mental health.       

Hi! I’m Meredith Deasley BA, RHN, RNCP, ACC. I am The Resourceful Mother. I am a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Family Life Coach, Author and Speaker. This is Part Two of my blog discussing Mental Health in Teens – Please refer to my last blog to understand why mental health challenges in teens are so prevalent today. Feel free to explore my services if you believe your child would benefit from discussing these matters with a Nutritionist or Life Coach. Recently, I contemplated writing a book filled with mental health tips for teens but then I realized all the information a parent needs is contained within the three books I already wrote; you can order them here.