{"id":2592,"date":"2023-03-08T01:04:58","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T09:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/?p=2592"},"modified":"2023-02-23T12:10:41","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T20:10:41","slug":"how-to-help-girls-and-everyone-cope-with-pandemic-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/2023\/03\/08\/how-to-help-girls-and-everyone-cope-with-pandemic-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Girls (and Everyone!) Cope with Pandemic Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article first appeared in\u00a0The Conversation<\/i>\u00a0<\/a>and is republished here in a slightly condensed form under a Creative Commons license. It’s so important, it deserves to be widely read.\"\"<\/p>\n

Previous CDC research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0disproportionately affected girls<\/a>. And in a 2021 study that our team conducted with 240 teens, 70% of girls said that they \u201cvery much\u201d\u00a0missed seeing people<\/a>\u00a0during the pandemic, compared with only 28% of boys reporting that sentiment.<\/p>\n

A second factor is social media, which can be a\u00a0wonderful source of support<\/a>\u00a0but also, at times, a crushing blow to the\u00a0self-esteem and psychological well-being of girls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Finally, we think that all young people are struggling with issues like climate change and social upheaval.
\nHere are six strategies that research shows can work.<\/p>\n

1. More emphasis on social support<\/h6>\n

Social and emotional connectivity between humans is likely one of the most potent weapons we have against significant stress and sadness. Studies have found strong links between a\u00a0lack of parental and peer support<\/a>\u00a0and depression during adolescence. Support from friends can also\u00a0help mitigate the link<\/a>\u00a0between extreme adolescent anxiety and suicidal thoughts. In one study of teens,\u00a0social support was linked to greater resilience<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 such as being better able to withstand certain types of social cruelty like bullying.<\/p>\n

2. Supporting one another instead of competing<\/h6>\n

Research has found that\u00a0social media encourages competition between girls<\/a>, particularly around their physical appearance. Teaching girls at young ages to be cheerleaders for one another \u2013 and modeling that behavior as grownups \u2013 can help ease the sense of competition that today\u2019s teens are facing.<\/p>\n

3. Showcasing achievements<\/h6>\n

Thinking about your own appearance is natural and understandable. But an overemphasis on what you look like is clearly not healthy, and it is\u00a0strongly associated with depression and anxiety<\/a>, especially in women.<\/p>\n

Adults can play a key role in encouraging girls to value other qualities, such as their artistic abilities or intelligence. Childhood can be a canvas for children to discover where their talents lie, which can be a source\u00a0of great satisfaction in life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One way that adults can help is simply by acknowledging and celebrating those qualities. For instance, at the\u00a0Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center<\/a>, an organization we direct and manage that is focused on prevention of bullying and cyberbullying, staff members post female achievements \u2013 be they intellectual, artistic, scientific, athletic or literary \u2013 on social media channels every Friday, using the hashtag #FridaysForFemales.<\/p>\n

4. Empowering women<\/h6>\n

Girls look to grown women for examples of how they can behave and what they can do. You may not be the chief executive officer of a huge corporation, but maybe you are a wonderful teacher, or maybe you run a small business that provides an important product or service. Modeling pro-women attitudes means valuing\u00a0all of the roles<\/a>\u00a0that people play in a society.<\/p>\n

In addition, teaching the history behind women\u2019s movements and other important steps toward equality, such as the\u00a0women\u2019s right to vote<\/a>, is key to empowering girls to value themselves and their roles. Women played central roles in\u00a0war efforts during World War II<\/a>. Women have led\u00a0social movements and fought for people\u2019s rights<\/a>. And women have been\u00a0renowned scientists<\/a>,\u00a0writers<\/a>,\u00a0artists<\/a>\u00a0and experts in virtually every other profession you can name.<\/p>\n

5. An honest look at social media<\/h6>\n
Social media represents a unique form of human interaction that has taken on an outsize role in the lives of teens. This is magnified for teenage girls, for whom every social media interaction may feel\u00a0consequential and potentially cataclysmic<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Interacting in a fun and positive way with peers on social media platforms can be a\u00a0positive and affirming experience<\/a>. On the other hand, seeing the things that others post, and comparing it with your own stuff, can make people of any age feel anxious about how they\u2019re appearing, and whether they\u2019re being socially included or excluded. This anxiety applies to both boys and girls, but the potential for emotional distress\u00a0seems to be higher for girls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Awareness of how social media has the capacity to\u00a0influence your feelings and mental health<\/a>\u00a0seems to help people keep some distance from their interactions on social media. Adults can help girls by discussing with them how social media influences their feelings, their self-perception and even their body image.<\/p>\n

6. Teaching kids to recognize their feelings<\/h6>\n

Learning to recognize and label feelings doesn\u2019t come automatically for many people. The good news, though, is that kids can learn ways to help themselves when they\u2019re experiencing\u00a0anxiety or depression<\/a>. Kids can learn to appreciate how hugging their dog, playing a board game, or talking with their parent(s) can help reduce anxiety, once they understand the feelings.<\/p>\n

We think it\u2019s worth noting that everything discussed here can also be helpful for boys, who are by no means\u00a0immune to mental health problems<\/a>. Encouraging achievement recognition, understanding how moods can be influenced by social media, and increasing support for both boys and girls is a positive step as we move toward a post-pandemic world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article first appeared in\u00a0The Conversation\u00a0and is republished here in a slightly condensed form under a Creative Commons license. It’s so important, it deserves to be widely read. Previous CDC research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0disproportionately affected girls. And in a 2021 study that our team conducted with 240 teens, 70% of girls said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[166,56],"tags":[76,279],"class_list":["post-2592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-covid-life","category-life-experiences","tag-mental-health","tag-teen-depression"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2592"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2594,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2592\/revisions\/2594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/treehousewriters.com\/wp53\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}