Many teens are encouraged to be independent, face challenges with determination, and to ‘stay strong’. However, resilience doesn’t grow in isolation. For a great number of teens, resilience develops through connections with others; whether these be people, places, or relationships, these connections help the teen to feel supported, protected, and validated. Numerous studies and public health guidelines reflect these ideas, showing that when teens have strong bonds to their families, schools, and communities, they will be better prepared to cope with stress and bounce back from adversity.
Resilience is neither about pretending that everything is all right, nor about never having difficulty. Resilience is about learning to adapt to, bounce back from, and go forward despite times of difficulty. For a teen, resilience may mean coping with the pressures of school and academics, dealing with difficulties with friends, experiencing changes in a family, dealing with questions related to one’s identity, and/or experiencing mental health issues, without losing hope. Building healthy routines, learning when to ask for help, and leaning on trusted people are all valuable teen resilience strategies that can make stressful situations feel more manageable.
Why Teens Need Support Systems More Than Ever
The transition into adolescence not only develops your mind and body but can create new challenges concerning your emotions or interaction with other people. Adolescence is considered the typical period in life when mental health issues begin to manifest.
Adolescents are generally planning on handling their own stress; however, when they are disconnected from their parents or a peer group, stress becomes more noticeable and is increased. In his advisory regarding isolation and loneliness, the U.S. Surgeon General indicated that a strong social connection is considered essential to develop and maintain strong mental health. Often, supportive relationships become one of the most important teen resilience strategies because they give adolescents a sense of stability and belonging.
The Four Most Significant Support Systems
1. Family or Caregivers
Encouragement, routine, and emotional availability are all necessary to provide a secure foundation for adolescents to open up. Many teens might not express themselves verbally. Minor gestures (e.g., listening to them without making comparisons or judging) will provide reassurance to a teen that they feel secure enough to express their thoughts and feelings. Enforcing teen resilience strategies begin at home.
2. Friends and Peers
Healthy friendships can provide reassurance, empathy, and a sense of belonging. Teens often feel understood by peers in ways that are especially meaningful during adolescence. Positive peer relationships can remind teens that they are not alone in what they are feeling.
3. Coaches, Teachers, and Mentors
Support from a trusted adult outside the home can be influential in the life of an teen. An adult like a teacher, coach, counselor, or youth leader can identify warning signs, provide a different perspective, and keep a teen connected to something positive. Since the CDC has stated that feeling connected to school decreases the likelihood of developing a mental health disorder, experiencing substance abuse, committing acts of violence, or developing long-lasting health issues, it will be important for the adult to assist the teen in experiencing the connections to people involved in a school setting.
4. Community Spaces and Groups
Community groups do not have to be limited to a specific purpose, and their potential to help a teen develop their identity and confidence is limitless. Teens who participate in community organizations are allowed to be part of a larger-than-themselves group and can use this larger connection to assist them in developing their identity during stressful or uncertain times. Involvement in these kinds of community spaces serves as practical teen resilience strategies by reinforcing confidence, purpose, and social support.
How Connection Protects Teens
Support systems are not only a source of comfort, but they also play an important role in our mental health. In fact, research has shown that adolescents who perceive they have greater levels of social support have lower levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and suicidal thoughts and attempts later on in life, as documented in JAMA Network Open. This demonstrates how powerful support is to our emotional well-being; it can directly influence many aspects of life.
Signs A Teen May Be Missing Support
Your teen may not express the fact that they lack emotional support directly; however, there are certain behaviors that could suggest this is the case (e.g., withdrawal or negative moods). Other signs that may indicate they are lacking support include feeling like no one understands them, having little motivation and feeling hopeless about their future; making changes in daily routines or activities or avoiding school, extracurricular activities, friends/relationships. Although these behaviors do not always mean a person is in crisis, they may indicate there is a lack of connection or need for guidance or additional assistance.
Final Thoughts
Teens don’t build resilience simply by persevering through difficulties alone. Rather, resilience develops when teens know they have a support network to help them through tough times. Family members, friends, schools, mentors, and community spaces all provide a supportive network that creates connections that enhance teens’ coping skills, improve their emotional health, and increase their likelihood of seeking help during difficult times.
Support networks may reduce some of the difficulty that a teen encounters but will usually not eliminate every challenge from a teen’s path. However, adolescents will find challenges appear more manageable and may not feel they are alone when they are part of a strong, supportive community. When families, schools, and communities work together, they create lasting teen resilience strategies that help young people adapt, recover, and move forward with greater confidence.
