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Teens: Chipotle® & Chill
- Better Grades & Less Stress Using Enhanced Imagery -
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ALL Teens need these life skills, EVERY single one of them.
They will give your kids the tools to...
Control Stress, Improve Focus, Gain Confidence
& Live a Happy, Balanced Life.
Many of our teen clients come to us for help with grades, testing or athletics. But most of their parents have no idea how stressed out these kids are. Here are some real & very typical tweets from teenagers that illustrate what we hear often from our seemingly "high-functioning" teenage clients:
do not want to decide my whole life at age 17
______________
I have way too much to do this week. Why do teachers pile things up.
#goingtodie #hatingschool
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I have a headache almost everyday now because of school
______________
I Haven't Started Any Homework & I Have A Lot Of It .. This Laziness Will Come Back & Bite Me ... #Oops It Already Did
______________
To do list:
1. Procrastinate
2. Panic
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Sleeping so I don't have to think about anything
______________
You think you're okay and then something else hits you like a brick wall
______________
Still waiting for that weight to be lifted off my shoulders ! #stressedteen
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I checked my snapmaps and found out that my best friend ditched me with my other friend. They didn’t even bother to ask me if I wanted to hang. Now I’m pissed. Can this day get any worse. #fakefriends
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i hate when you are nothing but nice to a person and they continue to talk sh#t behind your back right next to you
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Sometimes I'm like yay everything is gonna be okay! Then I'm like I just wanna give up.
______________
Ugh life why must u suck!!
______________
I will NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO BE MEAN AND HURT SOMEONE!
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I.AM.SO .STRESSED.RIGHT.NOW and.i.feel.so .sick.
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i’m so tired of: • fake friends • drama • liars • being ignored • getting hurt
______________
I'm pretty sure it's acceptable to have one emotional break down once a week for the rest of senior year?!
#stressingout
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why do we try so hard for people who don't try for us
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parents: “come here.”
me: “okay”
me to myself: “they know everything. I knew that this would happen.
I should have deleted everything. I knew it. I'm done for, what should I say? Just deny everything.”
parents: “how do you turn on Netflix?"
me: starts laughing uncontrollably.
______________
Teens: Chipotle® & Chill
Better Grades & Less Stress Using Enhanced Imagery
What is an Extreme Sport? Doing your homework while the teacher is collecting it!
Teens today feel more stress than most adults
- believe it.
Teenagers more stressed than adults? Sounds crazy, right? Their lives seem easy compared to ours. What do they have to worry about? In our line of work, we've help thousands of people, collectively, over 30,000 adults, teens and kids. But lately, we've noticed that many of our teenage clients are experiencing a higher level of stress than many of our Type-A adult clients (attorneys, professional athletes, CEO's, salespeople, etc.). And, unfortunately, recent research has confirmed this trend. We're not going to bore you with the numbers, (just Google it to read many of the studies), but it is real and its implications are disturbing.
One of the most alarming pieces of research we've studied came out in January 2018 from the University of Virginia. Starting in 1998, a group of 127 middle-schoolers with various backgrounds, genders and personalities were studied. They were followed, questioned and even had their blood drawn. This went on until they were 28. At that time, the findings showed high levels of interleukin-6, a protein that's been associated with the development of cancerous tumors, arthritis and other problems associated with premature aging, was found in the bloodstreams of those 28-year-olds who experienced chronic social conflict (stress) beginning at the early age of 13.
In other words, starting at the age of 13, those who did not have good tools or coping mechanisms for handling conflict/stress throughout their lives were found to have physiological changes in their bodies at the age of 28 that are associated with premature aging.
Typically, adults tend to trivialize what teenagers express as something important (to them) that is stressing them out or "annoying" them. We think they're being overly dramatic and they just need to "toughen up." We got through our teenage years relatively unscathed, they will do the same.
Well, what's so different now compared to when we were kids? Can you imagine during your teenage years, the years you were most likely to do stupid or embarrassing things, that every single person around you had the ability to instantly film you doing those stupid/embarrassing things and then instantly share it with the entire world?
Or what if your teachers from 7th-12th grade were told that all the kids in their classes better reach a certain level or else, so they'd better each give their kids an hour of homework per night, per class? What if during high school, the college you
wanted to attend told you the only way you could get in was that you need to ace all your classes, take at least four A.P. classes, do volunteer work, get elected to a school position and either participate in school athletics or another valid extra-curricular school activity?
The other problem we face as parents is that once the hormones start flooding in, most kids try to handle things on their own, as nature intended them to do. They may tell their friends or vent on social media about their stress and anxieties, but they won't necessarily tell us.
So, maybe we can't, nor should we, get them to open up to us during every single stressful instance in their young lives, but there is something we can DO NOW that will help them throughout their teenage years ...and for the rest of their lives.
We teach your kids stress management & focus techniques that science has proven work for most teens, most of the time. Then, we help put those skills into the "automatic" part of their minds so they become easy & natural to use for the rest of their lives.
Like a kinked hose not letting the water flow freely, unwanted stress and anxiety puts a literal stranglehold on our flow of "feel good" hormones, information we've learned, creativity or problem-solving and on our ability to make good choices and take positive actions in our everyday lives.
But, notice we said, "unwanted" or what some call "negative" stress. Sometimes people think that stress is always a bad thing. When actually, the right amount of stress at the right time will help us, a lot! Stress is kind of like, energy. It can stimulate chemicals to boost brainpower. Stress motivates us to succeed, which can enhance our focus.
Yet, sometimes, the pressure or the degree of the stress our kids are experiencing can be more than they're comfortable with, and it can have the opposite effect. So, we want to teach them how to “dial it down” a bit. Or maybe they're getting ready for something big, like a test, class presentation or athletic event, something that they'll excel at if they have that extra adrenaline boost and energy, ...so that's when we want to teach them how to "dial it up." We'll teach your teens techniques to manage their stress levels and focus, allowing them to be in control ...of themselves.
Next comes Enhanced Imagery,
& this is where the real magic begins.
After we've taught the kids some of the most effective stress management and focus tips and techniques, we begin enhanced imagery (kind of a combination of visualization, mindfulness, day-dreaming, etc.). We lead them into an extremely relaxed state, slowing down their brain frequencies, thereby creating a more open, focused and favorable neurological climate to accept the positive suggestions they desire.
In this state we’re able to help them feel more confident and be in control of their stress levels, anxieties and more! It’s quick, it’s easy, and they’ll leave feeling refreshed, reenergized, balanced, mentally stronger and happier.
Our team at In The Zone Centers is here to help you and your kids every step of the way. Whether you want to start by just dipping your or your kids' toes in the water at one of our mini retreats or you’re ready to jump right in at a private session, …just call, text, email, or register online. The biggest regret our clients always have is wishing they’d done this sooner!
Who can attend the Teens Mini Retreat
& what's the deal with Chipotle®?
In our private sessions, we work with kids and adults of all ages. In some instances, it may make sense for a parent to sit in on the session, and sometimes we may find it more helpful to visit with the parent and child separately.
In our 90-minute mini retreat - Teens: Chipotle & Chill, we only allow teens, no adults or kids under 13. You can feel confident, as registered psychotherapists with the State of Colorado, (and most of us parents ourselves), we have your children's best interest at heart. And no worries, there is nothing we do or say that will take away from what your kids already do well, if anything, it will be strengthened. And regarding our "no parents" policy, although you may have a very open relationship with your teens, there may be some kids attending who are a bit more guarded around adults, and we've found that teens in group settings like this tend to be more receptive when it's just them and our team members in attendance.
Now, ...Chipotle®? It all started with a very important question, how do we get busy teenagers to actually attend this mini retreat? We did research. We surveyed many teenagers - boys, girls, those who preferred sports or books or gaming or watching Netflix, etc. We found ONE common response when answering this question: "If your parents told you that they really, really want you to attend a 90-minute retreat which will help you with school or tests or sports or whatever, what's the one thing you'd want to make it more tolerable?" The answer was, ...food. So, a hot Chipotle® bar (or similar) is now part of our teen group mini retreat, a somewhat healthy meal with dietary options built-in, and something our research shows that almost all teenagers like. :)
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