How to Be Carefree (Teens)
Learn to recognize the things you can’t control., Keep school and free time separate., Write down your worries in a journal., Evaluate effort rather than results., Reassess your goals., Practice breathing exercises and meditation techniques.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn to recognize the things you can’t control.
If you were to glance at an inventory of all the things you worry about every day, chances are that you’d find at least half of them were issues you couldn’t control.
Worrying about these things isn’t just a waste of time, though: it can also hamper your ability to enjoy things you love like playing sports and hanging out with friends.For example, catch yourself next time you find yourself agonizing over whether your college application will be accepted of if your soccer game the next day will get rained out.
Think about how and why this particular concern isn’t a valid use of your mental bandwidth, and then do a breathing exercise or read a chapter of a book to cleanse your mind.
As you get more practice doing this kind of self-monitoring, you’ll become better and more efficient at it.
You’ll be able to recognize futile worries and dismiss them without the aid of breathing or other distracting exercises, and eventually, you’ll find yourself avoiding these worries altogether. -
Step 2: Keep school and free time separate.
Leisure time is essential for everyone.
It affords your stressed-out brain some time to regroup, recuperate, and reinvigorate, while elevating your mood and overall health.Even if you’re affording yourself plenty of recreational time outside of school, though, you might not be taking full advantage of it.
For example, if you’re thinking about your Biology exam while halfheartedly watching a movie with friends, you’re actually cheating yourself out of the benefits of meaningful relaxation.
Make a rule with friends and family that down-time stays down, so no school topics or grade-stressing allowed! , It may seem counterintuitive, but devoting your worries to a journal or blog can make a huge impact on your stress levels.
You get to reflect on them and understand what things typically trigger your anxiety.
Just be sure to let your worries go after writing them down: allow yourself to worry for the time it takes to write your journal entry, but call it quits once you’re done.
Watch a movie, read a short article on your favorite website, or go for a jog to clear your head.For example, devote a chunk of your daily entries to problems and frustrations from the day.
After writing about other things, write something like, "I've been feeling really bogged down by soccer practice recently.
I want to hang out with friends more, but it seems like all my day is devoted to this one activity.
I almost told my parents that I want to quit, but I don't want them to be mad at me." Talking through your thoughts and impulses will help you to process your emotions and decide the right way to address your stress.
Studies have shown that it can also help to physically “throw away” negative thoughts.
For example, if you write a particularly negative journal entry wherein you vent personal doubts and insecurities, try an exercise where you rip out the entry and throw it in the garbage or burn it.
This symbolic gesture can make you feel cleansed of negativity and refreshed from the release., While it’s good to try to get good grades, you shouldn’t worry too much about the letter grade you receive for a particular assignment.
Rather, you should focus on the effort you put into researching and writing a paper or studying for an exam.
This effort-not-outcome approach has been shown to help process failure in a productive manner while wasting minimal thoughts and energy on things you can’t control.For example, if you dedicated many hours of time to a research paper but only received a B- from the teacher, congratulate yourself for the honest effort you put into it rather than berating yourself for the letter grade.
In the same way, if you got an A on an exam for which you barely studied, don’t crow over your victory.
Dismiss any positive results you attain if they were achieved through insignificant effort. , Setting goals constitutes an important and beneficial part of life: it encourages success, focuses behavior and attention, and builds self-esteem.That being said, not all goals are created equal: stressing out over goals which aren't actually important to you adds unnecessary guilt and pressure to your life while planting the seeds of conflict in your future.
So, next time you're stressing over getting into Advanced Physics, ask yourself why you're doing so: is it because you truly care about the subject, or is it because your mother expects you to get into a prestigious Engineering program at university? If you think your goals for going to business school or getting a sports scholarship come from your parents’ wishes and not your own, try talking to them about your feelings.
Chances are, they worry more about your happiness and sense of fulfillment than they do the specific nature of your professional or sports career.
For example, find a quiet time after dinner or before bed when your parent isn’t distracted by work or household problems.
Approach your parent and say, “Hey, can we talk about my plans for college? I’ve been thinking that I’m not so sure I want to go into Business as we had planned.
What do you think?” Be calm, respectful, and open to their opinions, but also firm about asserting your own point of view., Mindfulness exercises like meditation and controlled breathing can be useful.
The tangible benefits of these mental exercises has been well documented.
In addition to making you feel more centered and clear-minded, it can help lower your blood pressure and anxiety while boosting your immune system.These exercises are deceptively difficult to master, so make sure you start out small.
Find a few quiet minutes in your day when you can practice some slow breathing and focusing on your breath and body posture, and then slowly work up to deeper meditation techniques. -
Step 3: Write down your worries in a journal.
-
Step 4: Evaluate effort rather than results.
-
Step 5: Reassess your goals.
-
Step 6: Practice breathing exercises and meditation techniques.
Detailed Guide
If you were to glance at an inventory of all the things you worry about every day, chances are that you’d find at least half of them were issues you couldn’t control.
Worrying about these things isn’t just a waste of time, though: it can also hamper your ability to enjoy things you love like playing sports and hanging out with friends.For example, catch yourself next time you find yourself agonizing over whether your college application will be accepted of if your soccer game the next day will get rained out.
Think about how and why this particular concern isn’t a valid use of your mental bandwidth, and then do a breathing exercise or read a chapter of a book to cleanse your mind.
As you get more practice doing this kind of self-monitoring, you’ll become better and more efficient at it.
You’ll be able to recognize futile worries and dismiss them without the aid of breathing or other distracting exercises, and eventually, you’ll find yourself avoiding these worries altogether.
Leisure time is essential for everyone.
It affords your stressed-out brain some time to regroup, recuperate, and reinvigorate, while elevating your mood and overall health.Even if you’re affording yourself plenty of recreational time outside of school, though, you might not be taking full advantage of it.
For example, if you’re thinking about your Biology exam while halfheartedly watching a movie with friends, you’re actually cheating yourself out of the benefits of meaningful relaxation.
Make a rule with friends and family that down-time stays down, so no school topics or grade-stressing allowed! , It may seem counterintuitive, but devoting your worries to a journal or blog can make a huge impact on your stress levels.
You get to reflect on them and understand what things typically trigger your anxiety.
Just be sure to let your worries go after writing them down: allow yourself to worry for the time it takes to write your journal entry, but call it quits once you’re done.
Watch a movie, read a short article on your favorite website, or go for a jog to clear your head.For example, devote a chunk of your daily entries to problems and frustrations from the day.
After writing about other things, write something like, "I've been feeling really bogged down by soccer practice recently.
I want to hang out with friends more, but it seems like all my day is devoted to this one activity.
I almost told my parents that I want to quit, but I don't want them to be mad at me." Talking through your thoughts and impulses will help you to process your emotions and decide the right way to address your stress.
Studies have shown that it can also help to physically “throw away” negative thoughts.
For example, if you write a particularly negative journal entry wherein you vent personal doubts and insecurities, try an exercise where you rip out the entry and throw it in the garbage or burn it.
This symbolic gesture can make you feel cleansed of negativity and refreshed from the release., While it’s good to try to get good grades, you shouldn’t worry too much about the letter grade you receive for a particular assignment.
Rather, you should focus on the effort you put into researching and writing a paper or studying for an exam.
This effort-not-outcome approach has been shown to help process failure in a productive manner while wasting minimal thoughts and energy on things you can’t control.For example, if you dedicated many hours of time to a research paper but only received a B- from the teacher, congratulate yourself for the honest effort you put into it rather than berating yourself for the letter grade.
In the same way, if you got an A on an exam for which you barely studied, don’t crow over your victory.
Dismiss any positive results you attain if they were achieved through insignificant effort. , Setting goals constitutes an important and beneficial part of life: it encourages success, focuses behavior and attention, and builds self-esteem.That being said, not all goals are created equal: stressing out over goals which aren't actually important to you adds unnecessary guilt and pressure to your life while planting the seeds of conflict in your future.
So, next time you're stressing over getting into Advanced Physics, ask yourself why you're doing so: is it because you truly care about the subject, or is it because your mother expects you to get into a prestigious Engineering program at university? If you think your goals for going to business school or getting a sports scholarship come from your parents’ wishes and not your own, try talking to them about your feelings.
Chances are, they worry more about your happiness and sense of fulfillment than they do the specific nature of your professional or sports career.
For example, find a quiet time after dinner or before bed when your parent isn’t distracted by work or household problems.
Approach your parent and say, “Hey, can we talk about my plans for college? I’ve been thinking that I’m not so sure I want to go into Business as we had planned.
What do you think?” Be calm, respectful, and open to their opinions, but also firm about asserting your own point of view., Mindfulness exercises like meditation and controlled breathing can be useful.
The tangible benefits of these mental exercises has been well documented.
In addition to making you feel more centered and clear-minded, it can help lower your blood pressure and anxiety while boosting your immune system.These exercises are deceptively difficult to master, so make sure you start out small.
Find a few quiet minutes in your day when you can practice some slow breathing and focusing on your breath and body posture, and then slowly work up to deeper meditation techniques.
About the Author
Christina Chapman
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow creative arts tutorials.
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