Teens with social isolation may find themselves in a no-win situation. These students may be avoiding other students because they feel that they are not deserving to have friends due to their status as someone who is bullied. This creates a terrible cycle for the teen - he feels badly about his social status and feels worse once he is bullied. Then he withdraws more due to feeling badly after being bullied. How do we help these teens? We need to try to determine when we see a teen isolating himself what is going on in his world. Becoming socially isolated may be a response to several stresses: bullying, abuse, depression, social anxiety, substance abuse, family conflict, or peer conflict. As parents, we can try to determine what is causing the social isolation. If bullying is the cause, we need to meet with school personnel if the bullying is occurring in the school setting. Whatever the cause, we need to support our teen and help him find better ways to cope than withdrawing from others. Dr. Debra
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01/25/2012
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A nice way for a kid to break a shy barrier, is to have them volunteer and sell concessions with parents and one or two other teens, at a high school event of some sort. Kids in high schools always need "volunteer hours". To chit chat away, while doing a simple task of putting together an order of nachos, can really put a smile on your face.
We just had this discussion amongst my mothers' support group, we were discussing how much teens need adult interaction, that are not their parents or teachers. So often, teens miss out on interactions outside the microcosm that is a high school social setting. Working with adults and other teens in one setting can be helpful.
Posted by: Liz O | 01/26/2012 at 01:07 AM
and by parents in the above concession booth, not their own parents.
We had one tonight who worked the Aramark Reliant stadium with us tonight. Very typical teen, but it was wonderful to hear his mancub thoughts coming through. And being appreciated by 14 other adults, does wonders for his heart, I'm sure.
Posted by: Liz O | 01/26/2012 at 01:09 AM