I called upon our Health Resource Center Coordinator (HRC), Alex Banks, to share her thoughts around the topic of teen health this month. Alex is wise beyond her years, and still young enough to really connect with the youth who visit the HRC at Reading High.
Turns out that Alex and I share a pet peeve: neither one of us likes it when adults try to minimize the challenges of adolescence. Sure, from an adult’s perspective it can often seem like the teen years were a time of greater freedom and fewer responsibilities, but oh how easily we forget what we don’t want to remember!
The teen years are a time of tremendous change – physically, emotionally and socially. In fact, it is probably the greatest time of personal change they will ever experience and the vast majority of it is out of their control. It requires of ton of energy to live in a body that is going through this level of change. This means teens, now more than ever, need good nutrition to nurture their bodies and ample rest to restore their bodies. And somewhat suddenly, these bodies they have been living in since birth can seem very unfamiliar.
What many teens want and need to hear is that the changes they are going through are normal, and so is the confusion and uncertainty they may feel. Maybe you can be someone to tell them that, in a way that communicates you have some understanding of what they are going through? To learn more, visit us on social media: www.facebook.com/berksteensmatter
