In todays modern world we see teenagers always on their phones. It seems that they cannot function without the. But are they a necessity or a hinderance? Many of the teenagers of today are feeling the stress and pressure of modern living, to be accepted by their peers and to be always out having fun, as others appear to be doing on social media sites.
Girls are more likely to show signs of depression by the age of 14 which is linked to social media. A team at University College London published a paper recently after extensive research and found that girls tend to spend much more time on social media and experience worse psychological effects as a result. Online harassment and interpreted sleep have an impact on mental health for both genders.
The office of National Statistics have looked at adolescents and made a report that at least 10% are diagnosed with an emotional disorder. Depression is also likely to occur if there are regular high levels of stress and the number of teenagers on anti-depressants is increasing; also increasing is the number of teens who self harm
The majority of teenagers are coping with the pressures of life, but for those who aren’t, they need to find ways to help themselves to cope, before things get too out of hand.
Reflexology, Yoga, Meditation and sports. These are some ways to reduce stress levels and increase Serotonin levels, as regular exercise helps you sleep better, boost energy levels and raises self-esteem. Mind relaxation is also important if you are unable to switch off as your own self healing can work better.
Reflexology can be one of those ways, by improving the quality of sleep, helping to feel calmer, which will in turn, improve a sense of wellbeing.
I asked 4 teenagers with parent consent, to allow me to treat them to 4 x 30 minute sessions of reflexology, to see if it made a difference to them. From an Anonymous personal questionnaire I could publish their responses.
‘Reflexology was recommended for me and my year group (15) because we have a lot of things going on such as GCSEs and Mocks. Personally, I found Reflexology very useful for stress related problems. I felt it was a really soothing outer body experience. My mind felt at ease and clear! If I had the opportunity to do it again I would, because of the experience I had’
‘Reflexology helped me a lot actually, It’s really soothing and helps me relax. I can just be in the present and not worry about the past or the future. It was very comforting and I felt a little like falling asleep. The next day I felt absolutely fine and y feet felt like cushions.’
‘When I have reflexology, I fell calm and that there is a place where I can rid of all the negative stuff. During the treatment I experienced that I felt like I was in a safer place and was more relaxed, The next day I felt really loose and relaxed. I would have Reflexology again.’
‘During my Reflexology session I felt a lot colder and my hand was tingling a little, but was very relaxed. The next day I still felt cold but mostly normal. I would have Reflexology again.’