Dealing with emotional breakdown in Adolescents

An emotional breakdown, also known as a nervous breakdown, is a period of intense negative emotions, where a person feels severe emotional distress and may feel paralyzed and entirely incapable of coping with day-to-day life’s challenges, affecting your ability to work, study or take care of yourself. It can be tough dealing with emotional breakdowns, whether they are our own or someone else’s. We may feel lost, helpless, and confused. If you are going through an emotional breakdown, it is important to seek professional help so you can start feeling better.

Signs of an emotional breakdown in teenagers:

There are several signs that may indicate an emotional breakdown in teenagers. These can include: 

• a sudden change in mood or behavior,

• withdrawal from friends and activities,

• drastic changes in eating or sleeping habits, increased irritability or anger, 

• difficulty in concentrating or making decisions, unexplained aches, and pains, 

• fatigue, or loss of energy.

 If you notice any of these signs it is important to reach out for help from a trusted adult such as a parent or a professional counselor.

Causes of emotional breakdowns in teenagers:

There can be many different causes of emotional breakdowns in teenagers such as 

• loss or death in the family

• trauma

• violence 

• financial issues

• severe illness

• work 

• school stress

Some teenage girls may have a hormonal imbalance which can lead to extreme mood swings and make it difficult to cope with everyday situations. Often, feelings overwhelmed by stressors such as exams, family problems, or relationship issues can lead to an emotional breakdown. In some cases, drug or alcohol abuse can also contribute to the development of mental health problems that result in an emotional breakdown.

How to deal with emotions and prevent emotional breakdowns in teenagers?

Encourage your teenager to identify their feelings. It can be helpful for them to name what they are feeling whether it is anger, sadness, frustration, or joy. This will help them understand and cope with their emotions better. Try to remain calm when your teenager expresses his/her intense emotions. This will avoid further escalating the situation.

Teach your teenager how to cope with stress. Stress is a part of life, but it should not take over our lives. Teens may not have developed self-management skills as their brains are still developing and they may have trouble in rationally thinking and taking decisions during an emotional breakdown. There are healthy ways to deal with stress that do not involve harmful behaviors like self-harm or substance abuse. Helping your teen learn these coping mechanisms can reduce the risk of an emotional breakdown. 

Be present and remain calm and help your teen to understand that you are there to listen and help them during their difficult times. Listen to their views and opinions which may differ from yours and respect them. Since adolescence is a transition period where a lot of physical and psychological changes happen in them. Hence try to understand them.

Provide them with the space or outlets to vent out their emotions in a more positive way like writing a journal, doing some art and craft work, involve in dancing or gardening, going for a hike, doing meditation, and relaxation technique. 

Teaching them positive thinking will help them to manage stress in a more positive way. Distress tolerance skills such as grounding their thoughts back into reality also help someone who just had a big emotional outburst regain control over themselves. Being a good role model in the family with your partner, friends, and other family members will help your teen to take you as a good role model for their life.

Effective Ways to Deal with Emotional Breakdown :

It is normal for teenagers to experience emotional difficulties. They are going through many changes in their bodies and lives, which can be overwhelming at times. However, there are things you can do to help your teenager deal with their emotions and prevent emotional breakdowns.

• Acknowledging the breakdown signs :
  The first step is acknowledging that an emotional breakdown is happening. This might seem obvious, but it can be easy to try to bottle our feelings up and pretend everything is fine until we reach our breaking point. 

• Recognizing the signs :

Recognizing the signs of an impending emotional meltdown – such as feeling overwhelmed, hopelessness, being unable to concentrate or sleep – can help us act before things spiral out of control.

For long-term relief - Helping clients identify their unconscious thoughts and

Helping them restructure their thoughts