Celebrity mental health stories are everywhere in our world of social media and stardom. It’s hard to go anywhere without hearing about a famous person’s breakup, a stay in rehab, or even a heartbreaking loss. Did you know that reading these headlines could be affecting your own mental health? Don’t get me wrong, I love,…
Struggling to feel happy, or finding it hard to hold onto a positive mindset when every day feels blah? Maybe you have been feeling downright negative lately, and it is hard to see anything good about your day. Life can be difficult at times. It can turn any of us into Eeyore, walking around with…
Getting ready for college sneaks up on a lot of families. “I have time,” you might think, “college is still a few years away,” or maybe it is only a few months away. You may feel like you have your ducks in a row and know everything you need to do to prepare. Yet where…
Finals anxiety can turn the last weeks of the semester into a blur of worry, late nights, and second-guessing everything you studied. If you are a high school or college student feeling that pressure build, you are far from alone. At Davis-Smith Mental Health in New Lenox, IL, we help students across Will County calm…
Dealing with conflict is hard, especially when the argument is with a friend or someone you see every day at school. Have you ever been in an argument and just not known how to handle it? Many people fear conflict and avoid it at all costs. Many times, people just don’t know what to say…
Have you ever felt like disconnecting from technology is next to impossible? It could be work emails, school notifications, your teen calling or texting you, or a steady stream of requests from other family members. Teens are especially attached to their phones, and that makes sense. Phones are where their friendships, social media, music, and…
Raising resilient teens is something so many parents and teachers care about, yet it isn’t always clear how to help. Teens often aren’t sure how to handle big emotions, let alone the everyday stress of school, friendships, and growing up. Resilience is a must, and the good news is that there are real steps you…
Poor grades can turn a peaceful home into a daily battleground. The pressure to bring home good grades often leads to constant tension and frustration for both the parent and the teen. You want your teen to succeed and feel confident about their future. Most of the time, though, teens under this kind of pressure…
Teen mistakes can feel enormous, both to the teens making them and to the parents watching. It helps to remember the bigger picture: life is this incredible, beautiful process of figuring out who we are, what we want, and the people we want in our lives. We may search our entire lives to find out…
Teen dating can feel like something everyone else is doing, especially when you have those friends who always seem to be in a relationship. When you’re the only single friend, it can be hard to be around couples who seem so blissfully happy. If you’re constantly surrounded by couples, it’s easy to slip into the…
Connecting with your teen often starts with a story. By nature, we are all storytellers, and we all have memories we love to share. We share the moments that helped make us who we are, hoping they will help us connect. Teens, though, often tune out these conversations, especially if they have heard the story…
If you are searching for parenting tips for teens, you have probably heard this one before: “They said it would get easier. They said it would be fun.” I don’t know who “they” are, but parenting teens in this generation isn’t close to being easy. The reality is that teens can be draining. As they…
If you have been searching for how to motivate your teen, chances are you have already tried pushing. Many of us believe that if we push hard enough, motivation will follow. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Pushing can leave teens feeling broken down and unsure of their own voice. Encouragement tends to do…
Teen acceptance is something every young person is looking for, whether it comes from friends, teachers, coaches, or you. As parents, it is hard to know how to support our kids as they begin to really embrace more independence. Sometimes we want to point out to our teenagers that what they are doing is not…
