My teen daughter told me she’s been struggling with thoughts of not being worthy and keeps having negative ideas about herself. She’s had a really tough school year, her friends are being excluding and sometimes downright mean. I’m feeling really lost on how to help her. I just want her to feel okay again. Have any of you gone through something similar with your kids? What worked and how did you support them through it?
I went through almost the same thing with my son last year. It’s heartbreaking to see them struggle like that. We found it helpful to start weekly check in times, just me and him, where we talked about anything on his mind without judgment. It took a while for him to open up fully but just knowing I was there made a difference. You’re doing great by being so attentive to her. Just being there and listening is a huge step.
My 12 year old has been going through something similar lately. Do you find it’s worse after social media use or more from in person interactions? I’m trying to figure out if limiting screen time would help or if it’s more of a peer issue. It’s such a confusing time, and I’m right there with you, trying to navigate it all.
My daughter once told me she felt like a potato in a world full of fries. It’s funny, but I could see she was really feeling that way. We’ve started doing silly compliments to lighten things up, it’s helped her smile on some tough days. Try this and other advice parents are giving you and give it some time, if you see it’s not improving, I recommend visiting a therapist, teenage years are hard and better be safe than sorry.