Experiencing a mental illness is challenging enough and what makes it even more challenging is feeling ashamed of it. One of the best ways we can support adolescents who have mental illnesses is to show them they are loved, supported and enough no matter what. We can do this by teaching our adolescents self acceptance.

In today’s article you will learn about 6 different strategies that will help your adolescent learn to accept themselves and their mental illness no matter what. Self acceptance is when one chooses to understand oneself rather than judge oneself. Adolescents put a lot of pressure on themselves to be perfect and to fit in with their peers. Mental illnesses can be isolating and can easily cause your adolescent to feel different from their peers. This feeling of isolation can add extra stressors to their mental health. How can we release the shame around having a mental illness and teach our adolescents it’s okay to struggle with their mental health?

1. Talk openly about feelings. Try asking your adolescent more questions about how they are feeling on a regular basis. Share how you are feeling more frequently. This will help your adolescent feel more comfortable talking about how they are feeling. By creating a welcoming and supportive environment this allows your adolescent to be more accepting of their mental health. By taking the initiative to talk about your feelings you are showing your adolescent it’s okay to feel different emotions and you are demonstrating self acceptance.
   
   
2. Reward your adolescent when they say something kind about themselves. We tend to focus on our adolescent when they need our help/when they are struggling. What about when they are feeling good? How can you celebrate your adolescent during their good times? When your adolescent is feeling good about themselves and is doing good mentally it is important to reinforce that behaviour by celebrating them. Is there a special meal you can prepare for them? A special show you can let them watch? Or is there something you can say to show encouragement? Celebrate your adolescent when they are accepting of themselves and this will encourage them to continue to accept themselves.
   
   
3. It’s important that adolescents are spending time each day practicing self acceptance. When your adolescent spends at least 20 minutes each day doing something to practice self acceptance they are learning how to accept themselves on their own. Over time self acceptance will become easier for them to do, without the help of someone else. Yoga, meditation, journaling, going for a walk, listening to a podcast are all great ways your adolescent can start practicing self acceptance.
   
   

Strategies your adolescent can use today:

Affirmations:

Affirmations can be practiced in a journal OR written on sticky notes and placed around your adolescents room. Affirmations help promote positive thinking and self empowerment. 

Example: I am beautiful, I am enough, I am loving myself always, I am deserving of forgiveness, I am enough no matter what, I am allowing myself to feel what I am feeling, I am accepting of all my emotions

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Forgiveness Letter:

This is a strategy that can be used when your adolescent isn’t feeling their best. If they had a hard day this strategy can help them practice accepting themselves during what they are going through. It is essentially a letter written to themselves, forgiving themselves for whatever they are struggling with, whatever is weighing heavily on their mind, this is a chance for them to let it go and forgive themselves, for not being perfect. Forgiveness is powerful and is important to practice to be able to accept oneself.

Night time routine:

Having a ritual your adolescent can do before bed every night  can be really helpful. If your adolescent is scrolling through their phone every night before they go to bed this can worsen their mental health (depending on what they are looking at). Having a routine in place every night that involves accepting oneself can be very helpful. Allowing your adolescent time every night to focus on themselves rather than on others is needed to refresh and start tomorrow on a positive note.

EXAMPLE: Journal practice 

- Write down 3 things you are proud of that you did today

- Write down 3 things you are choosing to forgive yourself for