Teenage Girls Need Our Help!

The other day I met up with a friend of mine for breakfast. As we were chatting and catching up, the conversation of teenage girls came up and she mentioned that her high school aged daughters were experiencing some difficult times in school. It seems that one of her daughter’s friends has taken up a practice that is becoming more and more prevalent in our teens these days. Cutting, according to Tee Help.com, “is the practice of teens who purposely injure themselves by using a sharp object to scratch or cut their skin deep enough to draw blood. It's a type of self-injury behavior typically seen more often among younger teen girls, although older teens and boys can also engage in cutting. In the U.S., it's estimated that one in every 200 girls between 13 and 19 years old, cut themselves regularly.” I had first heard of cutting a few years ago when another friend of mine confided in me that her daughter was “cutting”. I didn’t understand what she meant. I thought, “Cutting what, her hair?” It made no sense to me until I learned more about it. Tee Help.com says that according to therapists, teens cut themselves for several reasons. Among them:

• For release of pent up emotional stress.
• To express anger or other negative emotions.
• To exert an element of control when their lives seem out of control.
• To feel something other than emptiness, even if what they feel is pain.
• To punish themselves because they feel inadequate or worthless.

Teens who cut themselves lack coping skills to deal with strong emotions, intense stress, or relationship problems. Without healthy ways to deal with what they feel inside, tension builds up to an unbearable level until the teen seeks physical relief through cutting herself. So what on Earth does this have to do with you and me and our journey towards healing our lives? What does it have to do with building and strengthening our relationship with ourselves and becoming powerful confident women? It has everything to do with it! As women who are in this conversation, who have a heightened awareness and consciousness about the laws of the Universe and “how things work”, it is our responsibility to be strong, positive role models! My call to you is to make yourself the best you can be so that you can be the role model that our young women need. Do this work for your SELF and show your daughters, nieces and granddaughters, by example, that self-confidence, self-worth, and self-pride are all attainable and worthy traits. Be a model for self-love. Lead by example and take great care of yourself and teach the young women in your life that they are deserving of tende ess, compassion and self-care. I know it’s hard when you have to work, or you are single parent AND you have to work. You are stretched so thin already. A friend who read this article prior to “print” said this of her relationship with her girls “I pray that every moment with them is memorable, helpful & meaningful. I think that’s what important – the quality as opposed to the quantity of time. Use your time wisely, they are worth it.” You are their number one role model. So by leading by example and practicing self-care, self-love and self-acceptance, you are teaching them to do the same. Perhaps you might even make it something you do together and throw in a word or two about why it’s so important to treat yourself with love, kindness and respect. Start NOW! Give them your time and attention. Teach them to be in touch with their feelings and to express them in whatever manner resonates for them. Perhaps it’s through jou aling, or singing, or playing sports. Just make sure they know how important they are and teach them to EXPRESS their emotions. If you are conce ed that your child is cutting here are a few resources that may help you to learn more: http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-health/teen-cutting-defined.html http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-health/cutting-stats-treatment.html http://health.discovery.com/centers/teen/cutters/goodstein_qa_02.html If you are not getting the results you want from your solo-entrepreneurship and you know the BIG obstacle STILL getting in your way is YOU, I recommend learning my proven system that will get you out of your own way, gain crystal clarity, and new perspectives so you can attract ideal clients, make more money and generate the results you need to create the profitable business and exquisite life of your dreams. Contact me today for a complimentary get acquainted session. You can’t lose, and chances are, you’ll come out a winner! Call me today at 781-956-8584 or email me at aimee@coregrowthanddevelopment.com