THE teenage years are such difficult ones - spots, bad hair days, heartache, lack of confidence, clumsiness, anxiety - all memories I have of that time in my life.

Walking in a teen’s shoes today can be all of the above and more.

Back in the day if you made a fashion faux pas or your face had erupted overnight your woes were exposed to those in your world.

Today with social media ever present the whole world can know about what you are struggling with in a blink of an eye.

It is not a surprise to me that anxiety, depression and low self-esteem are at an all-time high now and that more females than males are reporting feeling this way.

As parents we can only try to understand what our child is going through and support them the best we can. Seeking help for depression and anxiety is essential for the majority of us.

There are some self-help resources available, though talking and walking therapies might just be of help to your teen.

Parents often come to me when the situation with their teen has tipped over to crisis, and with the busy lives we all lead now it is easy for this to happen. Often our teen’s emotional well-being can be hidden by them.

Try to give your teen as much positive attention as possible, listen more than you speak, take their worries as seriously as they do (even if you think it is a minor worry), and provide the safe-haven physically and emotionally that they need.

See: www.parentandbabycoach.co.uk

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