On December 18th, the Greater Princeton Branch of AYLUS (GPA) hosted its first public webinar on Positive Psychology in Raising Teens. Dr. Xie, a psychologist who frequently works with teens and parents, was invited to give the webinar. Nearly 300 participants from all over the country attended the webinar. The event organizers from GPA have received much positive feedback since then.
To reach AYLUS regarding this webinar or inquiries, please email: aylusgreaterprinceton@gmail.com
Watch the video of our webinar “Positive Psychology in Raising Teens” here:
Here are some impressions of participants:
Attending the Positive Psychology Webinar in Raising Teens with my sister and parents made me more aware of the importance and influences of teenage mental health. We learned a lot about the psychology of children’s brains and their sensitivity to changes in mental health and to overreacting and experiencing stress. To deal with the stress, people can utilize that CBD Oil. Listening to Dr. Xie’s lecture gave us a better understanding of teenage mental health, happiness, stress, education, freedom, self-awareness, and self-care (sleep and nutrition).
In addition, I learned about different ways to improve teenage mental health and how parents could help reduce stress in their children through communication, tools, and books. At the same time, parents can reduce their stress by utilizing the suggestions such as those on biocbdplus.com. The webinar conveyed the importance of communication between parents and teenagers, which is instrumental in both building a healthy relationship between the parent and teenager and maintaining a stable positive mental health for the teenager. Overall, I felt that the Positive Psychology Webinar was very helpful, not only for my family but for other AYLUS members’ families and beyond. It educated us about recovering from and reducing stress, improving families’ and teenagers’ mental health, and the psychology of children that allows for the several methods used to enhance mental health. — Sarah Liu (12/19, 2 hrs)
After listening to the webinar featuring Dr. Xie, I learned that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, students and teenagers have experienced mental health issues such as increased stress and relationship problems. Teenagers are more emotionally unstable than older age groups due to their underdeveloped brains and mental health. Because of this, teenagers must engage in self-care routines, gain enough sleep, and seek help when necessary. In addition, I learned that since teenagers have not fully developed mentally, parents must be more aware and considerate of their feelings. Parents should support their children and their ambitions more, instead of rejecting their ideas. By being unsupportive towards their children, parents may cause their children to feel unintelligent. However, when parents criticize their children, it is not the parent’s intention of making their children suffer. The parents simply want to express their concerns for their children and their children’s future. I also learned that a healthy parent-to-child relationship results in a positive feedback loop of happiness, encouragement, and emotional care. Therefore, teenagers and parents should try to maintain a healthy relationship and solve any relationship challenges. —- Shannon Liu (12/19, 2 hrs)
After listening to Dr. Julie Xie’s lecture on positive psychology, I gained a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the relationship between parents and their children. I learned that even before the covid pandemic, a large proportion of teenagers experienced depression or anxiety. During their children’s teenage years, parents also exhibited depression and anxiety at the highest rates. While this in
large part can be attributed to genetic and environmental factors outside of one’s control, Dr. Xie notes how 40% can be alleviated through lifestyle changes. For children, sleeping for an adequate number of hours and exercising frequently is effective at lowering depression and boosting energy and self-esteem. Even smiling has a positive effect on a child’s disposition. She also emphasizes the
importance of establishing many connections with many people throughout one’s lifetime, citing a 75 year long longitudinal study that proved it was correlated with happiness and future earnings. After listening to Dr. Xie’s lecture, I’ll be sure to adopt some of these good habits into my daily life. Equally important in boosting a child’s happiness are their parents. Dr. Xie points out how parents are often apt to find faults in their children and overlook their accomplishments, which she called
“automatic negative thoughts.” To make matters worse, they might even use fear and display a harsh and disconnected tone towards their children. This inevitably engenders the distrust of children, and contributes to their depression and anxiety, Dr. Xie argued. To solve this, she proposes that parents take a more positive and proactive approach to parenting, which calls for parents to set an example for their children rather than forcing them to do something. In other words, parents should
give their children a reason why they should listen to them. Furthermore, they should be patient and empathetic with their children and encourage positive risk taking. —- Kevin Chen (12/19, 2 hrs)