The Science of Aging Well: How Your Beliefs Affect Your Health
This number includes pre-k students through 12th graders. However, teenagers living with a disability, in particular, face unique challenges that can diminish their self-esteem, like navigating puberty in addition to their disability, or being excluded from school activities because of accessibility issues.
Whether you’re an educator, parent, or mentor, you can help the teens in your life develop their self-esteem and confidence so that they can overcome their unique struggles and fully embrace their strengths and potential to live a fuller life.
Teach Teens Proper Self-Care Practices
Improving your self-esteem and confidence and actively growing your relationship with yourself go hand in hand. You need the latter to engage in the former. So, help your teen cultivate the relationship they have with themself through proper self-care practices.
They begin to understand their needs and desires more and accommodate them when they engage in consistent self-care. As a result, their acceptance and love for themself grows. And that, in turn, boosts their self-esteem.
Proper self-care starts with identifying what helps them feel happy and relaxed. For example, skincare is an act of self-love. It keeps your skin strong enough to defend against bacteria and free radicals. It’s like a mini spa day every time your teen does their routine, helping them de-stress and relax. Glowing, gorgeous skin also gives them a confidence boost.
If your teen is interested in health and beauty, help them create a daily skincare routine that affords them the experience above. Aside from health, beauty, and skincare, self-care activities can include:
- Listening to music or a podcast to unwind
- Journaling or reading with the help of assistive devices
- Doing a weekly accessible yoga or meditation class
- Independently maintaining personal hygiene activities like showering
- Engaging in regular physical activity through adaptive sports
Daily self-care is ideal for teens living with disabilities. But at the very least, they should do something that feeds their souls weekly.
Balance Their Time Online With Offline Activities
Whether it was intended to or not, the creation of the internet made certain things more accessible for teens living with various disabilities.
For example, living with an invisible disability like depression or a visible one like Down syndrome can make it hard for teens to socialize in the real world because of communication barriers, self-esteem issues, or other reasons.
Social media has since opened up more opportunities for teens living with different disabilities to socialize. They can connect with disability advocates and friends worldwide, without the barriers they face in the real world holding them back.
Genuine relationships with others can have a profound impact on your teen’s mental health and well-being.
However, the impact social media has on our youth’s mental health can be harmful as well. Seeing unrealistic body images and lifestyles all of the time can decrease self-esteem. Social media can also easily become addictive and lead to anxiety.
Banning your teen from social media isn’t the answer because these platforms can bring a lot of positivity. Balancing their time online with offline activities is a better approach. Set a daily screen time limit and engage them in their offline interests when that timer goes off.
This balance will ensure they get all the benefits of social media and online time while avoiding the consequences of too much of it.
Prioritize Quality Time Together
Teens living with disabilities need to be around positive people as often as possible. One of the positive, supportive persons they have on their side is you. Feeling your genuine love, acceptance, and support every day can help them feel protected and appreciated for who they are, thus enhancing their self-esteem.
Prioritize spending ample quality time together. It’s during this time that you have conversations that help them build emotional resilience. You engage in activities they love to do and celebrate all of their wins. You uplift them with praise, practical advice, and reassurance.
A strong relationship with your teen is the result when you spend quality time together. No matter what, they’ll know they can always count on you to get them through whatever struggles or life experiences they’re navigating.
Conclusion
Living with a disability as a teenager can be incredibly difficult. They must learn how to live with a disease, illness, or injury all while still going through typical teenage things, like puberty and figuring out who they are.
Be the strong support system they need and help them develop high confidence and self-esteem to thrive while living with a disability.
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