Your Self Series

Question 1 of 6

You walk into the school locker room to see the school star athlete sitting crossed legged and chanting “Ommmmm” on a bench. You would:

Tip toe out.

Join in.

Take a picture and forward to everyone you know.

Slam some locker doors until the “Ommming” stopped.

Wait patiently to ask him/her about it

Very respectful... or were you just uncomfortable?

Excellent. May the Ommmm be with you both.

Not our choice, but if it's yours, think about how you would feel if someone shared a private photo without asking you first. Meditation is a personal process.

It may not stop for awhile... some people can go deep into their meditation. But if the star athlete is disturbed, think what you may have just done to his/her mojo for the next big game.

We bet you like what you hear. Good thinking.

Question 2 of 6

You have a test coming up and you feel yourself getting stressed. You would most likely:

Use a focused relaxation method (visualization).

Meditate or use mindfulness.

Deep breathe.

Exercise.

Play loud music.

Write in a journal.

Ignore it - the test and the stress.

Just keep studying.

Excellent! Visualize a successful test while you are at it.

Love it.

Quick, easy and effective. Nice choice.

Chris's favorite. She exercises a lot btw!

A popular teen choice. we suggest turning it off during the study time though;)

Don't forget to journal about why you think you are so stressed... what are the base fears?

Okay... did you read the entire posts on stress and stress reduction?

This may be your best way of dealing with stress- being proactive about your studying. We support that.

Question 3 of 6

Every time you go to talk with your crush, you find yourself sweating and stumbling over your words. You would:

Stay home, forever.

Stuff you feelings... who needs a crush?

Put padding in your armpits and pretend to have laryngitis.

Practice what you want to say in the mirror.

Nothing... just keep trying.

Talk to your best friend about it, hopefully get some tips.

Just text.

Did you read the part about adaptive versus maladaptive responses in three tips to mental health?

Who needs feelings right? Oh, wait, maybe we all do because the good feelings feel great. Stuffing can lead to acting out... you can read about that in out "what is mental health?"

Forever? How about deodorant and some more proactive strategies like positive self talk and visualization?

Good thinking. We like this one.

Is this an example "Practice makes perfect" or of "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results"? It really could be either!

Love this. Friends can be a great source of support... but what if your best friend is your crush????? That might be stressful, or not;)

Texting feels safer to so many teens but remember, a real relationship eventually is in person.

Question 4 of 6

You forgot to bake brownies for the class party and people are really disappointed. A few of them told you they were dreaming about the class party because your brownies are always THAT good. You would:

Make up an elaborate excuse.

Immediately open your calendar and write in a date to bring in brownies as a surprise.

Feel bad, take a few deep breaths and let it go.

Decide to start a baking business.

Feel bad and think about it all day, even during your math test.

Feel bad, think about it a bit and then decide to meditate/run/journal when you get home.

Email your class your secret recipe.

Does it involve your dog who ate the brownies and then nearly died from the chocolate but as you were burying him he came back to life and crawled his way out of the earth leaving dirt all over your house that you had to clean up on your own, destroying you favorite outfit which you tried to wash 17 times but the dirt just wouldn't come out? Wait? Aren't you wearing your favorite outfit now? Might a different response offer you less stress?

NICE!

Ahhh... letting things go can feel great. Good for you. Now what will you do proactively to make sure you don't forget the next class party?

Ummmm... if you forgot to bake one batch of brownies, what will you forget in running a business? Might that be a little more stressful? Maybe start a little smaller, with like brownies on Monday?

Grrr.... guilt and test anxiety. What a combo! Maybe think about some stress strategies and soothing options when you get home?

Letting other people down can be tough. Good for you for choosing a good strategy to soothe your stress.

Does that make you feel less guilty? If it does, and you are fine letting go of your secret, then go for it. If giving away your secret is going to bug you, maybe think about some other things you can do that will help you manage your guilt with out making you feel like you just gave away something that was really dear to you.

Question 5 of 6

Mom and Dad come down really hard on you for a few things you’ve done (you were hoping they wouldn’t find out!). You are now grounded for a week, have no cell phone or Internet access and need to write Mr. Jenkins (your 94 year old next door neighbor) an apology letter about his flower garden. You would:

Write the letter immediately, and think about all the stuff you will get done during your week in your room.

Cry, scream and rage and plot against Mr. Jenkins’ roses.

Think about/journal on how you ended up in this situation and how you will avoid acting like that again in the future.

Think about how mean you parents are and why it’s really all THEIR fault. They should have raised you better.

Sneak out of your window each day and destroy Mr Jenkins’ marigolds.

Decide to use your savings to buy new flower bulbs and plant them for Mr. Jenkins, maybe share the experience on Facebook when you get your phone back.

Better late than never right? And good for you for turning a negative (room time) into a positive (organizing time).

How's that feel? Did you get some stress out? but what happens when the roses are gone and you are grounded for eternity? How's the stress then? How's the anger? Any red flags there that maybe you should look for some proactive strategies in the near future? just sayin'.

Nice response. Your prefrontal cortex is growing well. Congratulate your SELF for an adaptive response.

Well, okay, if you think this then maybe you can think about how YOU can raise you better?

Hmmm... having trouble taking responsibility? And what's with the flower rage? Maybe you might want to at least meditate on your choice of action first? How long will you be in your room when the marigolds are gone and what will your stress level be like then?

Now you are someone that takes responsibility for your actions. Good for you for owning the situation. Less stress in your future.

Question 6 of 6

You forgot to walk the dog before going to school and when you got home... well, you can imagine: the place was a mess. You would:

Clean it all up immediately, then take the dog for a really long walk.

Kick your dog. Really, can’t they hold it for 10 hours? You bet you could.

Yell at your parents for having a dog, even though you love your dog. You have to yell at someone right?

Blame it on your parents (for having a dog), your school (for making you get up so early) and your friend (for texting with you until 3 a.m.). Really, who can be expected to juggle all that?

Clean it up and yell at yourself for being an idiot.

Clean it up and set your alarm for ten minutes earlier with the “woof woof” ring tone.

Well done. No use crying over spilt milk or dog poop, right?

We're going to take that bet! Tomorrow drink 8 full glasses of water (you need to stay hydrated) but do not allow yourself to go to the bathroom for a full 10 hours. How did that work for you? Maybe a few proactive strategies might work better?

Does yelling make you feel better? Does it make you parents feel better? Do you think there might be a stress strategy that works for both of you... and your dog?

Hmmm... don't like to take responsibility? Feel like the victim all the time? Well, don't forget that your life is YOUR life. What can YOU do to make sure this doesn't happen again... maybe look at the "control" section in stress reduction.

Well, cleaning it up... that's an adaptive response! Telling your self you're an idiot.... check the other box marked "maladaptive."

Not going to let it happen again are you? We like that. So does your dog.

22 Mar What Would U Do: Stress Reduction

You walk into the school locker room to see the school star athlete sitting crossed legged and chanting “Ommmmm” on a bench. You would:

You have a test coming up and you feel yourself getting stressed. You would most likely:

Every time you go to talk with your crush, you find yourself sweating and stumbling over your words. You would:

You forgot to bake brownies for the class party and people are really disappointed. A few of them told you they were dreaming about the class party because your brownies are always THAT good. You would:

You forgot to walk the dog before going to school and when you got home... well, you can imagine: the place was a mess. You would:

Answer the post question here

What's being said

Menu

Teen Topics