For most students, school is back in full swing with homework piling up, backpacks filling up and desks and lockers accumulating forgotten objects. Do you know some teens who could use some help in managing their mental lockers? Leading Edge presenter Gina Biegel has some practical tips and great worksheets for you in this article.
By this point in the year, student’s mental lockers may start to become full of previous year memories (the good, bad and ugly) combined with busy thoughts of this year (classwork, friendships, etc) as the work starts to get harder. Furthermore, upcoming holidays and celebrations are approaching along with their pressures. Taking the time to help sort through and clear out mental lockers may help decrease these stressors which may reduce anxieties. As the article states:
As the old saying goes, “Nip it in the bud.” Once you are aware of those thoughts—and people, places, things, or situations that are holding you back—you can nip them in the bud before they impact your new school year and adversely affect your sports and academic performance. Work to NIP your negative thoughts in the bud by using NIP: Notice your thoughts; Identify the thoughts as negative, positive, or neutral; and Place negative thoughts to the wayside by focusing on the positive. In this way, you NIP your negative thoughts in the bud before they start creeping into other areas of your life. More…