Have you ever watched a movie when you were in a particular mood? You might notice that boring movies you watched in a good mood or with someone you love can become movies you really enjoy. On the reverse end, you can see the best movie of the year when you’re going through something awful and find that you hate the movie completely. Songs, books, and even foods can have the same effect – reminding you of the feelings you had or something you were going through when you experienced it. This is because as humans everything we experience is heavily affected by our attitudes and views at the time.
Having a negative or unhealthy outlook on life can be absolutely devastating. We all know people who go through life like this. They’re constantly miserable, drawing bad things into their lives. They’re difficult to be around and they bring down everyone around them. Not only are they sad and upset, they also tend to be unhealthy in all other areas of their lives. It’s a dangerous cycle.
Teenage girls are particularly susceptible to unhealthy outlooks on life. Teenage girls often lack the perspective to see the big picture or maintain healthy views of the things in their lives. The scary part about this is that teenage girls are also making critical, formative decisions that can impact the rest of their lives. How can we help them to develop a healthy outlook on life?
Body Positivity – one of the most unhealthy aspects of teenage girl’s lives is the way they see their own bodies. Talking with them about “normal” bodies and the variety of body types is a great place to start. Everyone knows what a risk eating disorders are for teenage girls, and developing a healthy body image is a big part of avoidance or recovery from eating disorders.
Relationships – much of their worldview of relationships is formed by the media and their friends. This can create a terribly unhealthy set of expectations about relationships. Instead help your daughter understand the complex and realistic nature of relationships of all kinds, so they can form healthy relationships and avoid unreasonable disappointment.
Responsibilities – many teens view any type of responsibility or assignment as being bossed around or forced to do something. This unhealthy view can keep them from succeeding. Helping your daughter understand that responsibilities are how we gain skill and develop trust is a critical part of her becoming a healthy, functional adult.
Time Use – teaching your daughter to view her time in a healthy and productive way will prevent a variety of issues. She needs to understand the value of balance in her life. Every girl needs free time, as well as work time. And all of her time should make her a better person! It’s a difficult lesson to learn but it provides a healthy outlook for girls of all ages.
Investing the time to help your daughter develop a healthy outlook on every area of her life will not only solve existing problems, but will prevent problems in every sphere of her life. If you fear your daughter’s unhealthy outlook on life is causing her serious problems, don’t hesitate to get the help she needs. Changing that outlook is possible – and vital.
Think Havenwood Might Be For You?
We encourage any visitors considering placing their daughter in treatment to fill out our online assessment as soon as possible. This two minute form will give our admissions team all the information needed to determine if your daughter is a good fit for our program.
Eric Allred was born and raised in Rigby, Idaho. He grew up on a family farm where he learned the value of work. He graduated from Rigby High School and attended Rick’s College, now known as BYU-Idaho. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Utah State University, received a master’s degree in organizational behavior and human relations from the University of Phoenix and a second master’s degree in marital and family therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. Eric has been involved in Rotary and was president of a local Rotary Club. He enjoys being with his family and doing outdoor activities such as fly fishing.
Chase was very fortunate to start in this industry as a struggling 17 year old kid looking for a mentor and something to be passionate about. Wilderness therapy was Chase’s first stop in this industry and was truly a transcendental experience for him. Chase has an enormous love for this line of work and the power that it has in creating change in everyone involved. Chase’s biggest belief is the power a mentor, strong, healthy relationships, and accountability can have on anyone, especially youth. Taking a very relational approach to his work, Chase has always been very relatable to the students he works with. Being able to understand and relate to a vast variety of the same struggles as a lot of the students he works with has been able to help him continue to grow, learn, and teach. Chase believes that with great rapport and trust, he can use his experience to continue to coach and train new staff, and has the ability to find those staff with the passion for this industry, and help them grow. His love and passion can be felt the moment you talk with Chase about this industry and he passes that on to others he works with. In his spare time you will find Chase cheering for the Eagles, Yankees, and Mavericks, hanging out with his brother, learning more about Eastern Psychology, and continuing to grow and learn.