Seven powerful journaling tools for teens in crisis. By Rebecca Edwards
“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”—Maya Angelou Over that past year and a half, we have all seen that life can have enormous obstacles that we must learn to navigate. The pandemic created situations where we were all affected. We experienced various traumas and setbacks, including losing loved ones. Families lost jobs, careers, vacations, graduations, milestones, celebrations, and for many, a heartbreaking disconnection from our daily routines that we needed as a part of our sense of belonging to a group or community. These obstacles have been challenging for our teens. I have witnessed this firsthand as I have two teenage daughters of my own. I have watched them pivot through fear of the future, where and how they would fit in, and how the world would look moving forward. During this crucial time, there was an uptick in teen suicide, overdose and the need for mental health services among our teens increased at an alarming rate. Teens who have experienced these crises or sudden traumas may not have the necessary life skills or language to communicate their needs effectively. We need to listen to what they cannot say. As a writer of transformational content, my research kept bringing me back to one profound thing teens said: they want to be heard. They wanted the adults in their life to be fully present to listen to their fears. They were asking their
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families and loved ones to listen to them without solving their problems. They were looking for compassion and comfort as they were seeking solutions to overcome what they were facing. Experiencing crisis was all too familiar to me because, as a teen, my life was riddled with trauma. Being an advocate and an author, I decided to dive into what I could write about to help connect our teens to their inner voice by bridging their gap from where they are to where they want to be so that they could pivot and rewrite their stories. I circled back to how vital journaling was as a tool to help my teenage mind process what my heart was feeling and experiencing. As a teen, journaling helped me gain a new understanding of what I was going through and what I was capable of achieving—despite what had happened to me. Journaling can have a profound impact on reframing emotional limits and clarifying mental obstacles. Below, I have summarized seven powerful journaling tools from my new book—The NETT, The New Evolution in Thinking for Teens, 7 Powerful Tools to Help You Rise Above Trauma—that can help teens let go of what was lost and find a renewed enthusiasm for taking action steps to embark on a courageous journey of acceptance and change.
discard outdated beliefs that are no longer valid and learn to rewrite every negative opinion, you can dig deeper and find the hero waiting within you. Write down who you desire to be and list action steps that you will benefit from applying in your daily life. 2. Create a New Paradigm of Thinking A paradigm is a fancy word for a pattern. If you shift your thinking and make adjustments in how you are speaking to yourself, you can create a healthy connection to the inner voice that can empower you to make better choices based on new information. Write about how you can silence the inner critic and learn to change the way you speak to yourself and about yourself.
THE JOURNALING TOOLS FOR TEENS
3. What Beliefs Do You Have About What You Can Become? Your beliefs are yours to change. No one can do that for you. If you have had setbacks and disappointments, you may believe that you are different or that what you truly desire is unavailable. When, in fact, what sets us apart actually connects us to those around us. When you find and connect with those who support your heart’s desires, you will see that what you thought was impossible is possible. Write about things that empower you, excite you, and how different life would be if you believed you had the right attitude to go after the dreams rooted deeply in your heart and soul.
1. Uncover Your Truth— Who are You? How do you see yourself in the mirror? Do you see only labels, disappointments, setbacks, and failure? If you
4. Embrace Personal & Spiritual Growth Change and growth can feel scary, and it is OK to feel multiple mixed emotions while you are in the process of
