Self-compassion and Teen Mental Health
The article, “How Self-Compassion Can Improve Teen Mental Health” by Karen Bluth (2023), highlights new research that shows a link between self compassion – treating oneself with kindness and less criticism – and positive mental health in teens.
More teens than ever before are experiencing high levels of anxiety, distress, and depression. Many of the challenges faced by today’s teens did not exist even a decade ago. Our society is rife with influences that leave individuals feeling inadequate, demoralized, and lonely. When things go wrong, many adolescents not only lack an encouraging sense of self but grapple with feelings of shame, fear, chronic apprehensiveness, and isolation.
This is where mindful self-compassion comes in. An abundance of research has shown that mindfulness psychology can significantly improve coping and resilience. These practices embody extending kindness to oneself and bringing greater understanding and acceptance to one’s thoughts and feelings. Acknowledging our emotions without dismissing or criticizing ourselves helps us to respond and cope with challenges more effectively.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that nurturing a self-compassionate outlook has been shown to be pivotal to positive mental health. And now there is new research that suggests that cultivating self-compassion may be particularly vital to teen mental health.
In this article, published in mindful.org, the author describes the essence of self-compassion, explaining what it is and what it is not. She then describes how to foster an environment that supports teens in developing this crucial quality and sheds light on research that illuminates why and how developing self-compassion can help teens.