{"id":806,"date":"2020-04-20T18:33:43","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T18:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/?p=806"},"modified":"2020-04-20T18:33:43","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T18:33:43","slug":"beneath-the-surface-a-teens-guide-to-reaching-out-when-you-or-your-friend-is-in-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/20\/beneath-the-surface-a-teens-guide-to-reaching-out-when-you-or-your-friend-is-in-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Beneath the Surface: A Teen\u2019s Guide to Reaching Out When You or Your Friend is in Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Kristi Hugstad<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three hundred sixty-five days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the amount of time we all had last year: 52 weeks of 24\/7, but your friend had a 2019 that seemed to last forever. He is, in fact, still struggling and you want to help but how? What can you say or do to get him through? Start by reading \u201cBeneath the Surface\u201d by Kristi Hugstad<\/strong> and tackle today first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was a teenager once, too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No doubt you\u2019ve heard that from at least one adult in your lifetime and you can\u2019t argue with it. What you can <\/em>say, though, is that things are different. Being a teen today is hard: with social media, smart phones, and inescapable peer pressure around, you and your friends might encounter problems that are too overwhelming to deal with alone and it might seem like nobody\u2019s listening, which is scary. That\u2019s when serious help might be needed \u2013 help from \u201cthe right <\/em>person\u201d \u2013 to make things better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, though, know this: what\u2019s happening isn\u2019t anybody\u2019s fault. A depressed person didn\u2019t ask <\/em>to be like that, someone who\u2019s bulimic didn\u2019t look for it, nobody who\u2019s addicted wants to be addicted \u2013 furthermore, bad things can happen to anyone at any time. And if you believe you\u2019re depressed\/addicted\/bulimic because your brain doesn\u2019t work right, well, it\u2019s a fact that areas of the human brain mature at different times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second thing to know is that you are not alone. If bullying or cyberbullying is an issue, say something! If you\u2019re cutting, show someone. If it seems like the pain won\u2019t ever stop, ask for help and don\u2019t stop speaking or asking until you find that \u201cright person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn to recognize stress and know that even just a little anxiety can grow until you can\u2019t deal anymore. Watch for addictive behavior, including addiction to electronics. Become educated about the mythology of teen suicide, know who\u2019s at particular risk, self-assess now and then, and recognize the warning signs that scream for a professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, remember: there is absolutely zero <\/em>shame in accepting therapy or help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As illustrated by the story of her husband\u2019s suicide, author Kristi Hugstad shows how easy it is to miss a crisis brewing. So how can we best arm our teens and make them equipped to handle such unimaginable things?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeneath the Surface\u201d could be a good start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning with honesty and careful words about that which can seem insurmountable, and always keeping one finger on suicide as the hub, Hugstad lists possible warning signs related to the most common, most dangerous actions. That info\u2019s backed up by short, bullet-pointed chapters that are easily browsed but packed tight with takeaways, which is a good thing for busy teens. Another value: the advice on advocating for self or friends is straightforward and unembellished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of those books you hope you never need. It\u2019s good to have around in these tumultuous times, though, and it\u2019s sure to be a conversation starter. For teens, families, teachers, and allies, \u201cBeneath the Surface\u201d could be just the thing this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Kristi Hugstad Three hundred sixty-five days. That\u2019s the amount of time we all had last year: 52 weeks of 24\/7, but your friend had… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=806"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":808,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/806\/revisions\/808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodstuffconnections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}