How Journaling is Different for Teens Than Adults
While journaling itself has many of the same benefits for people of all different ages, there are some slight differences for teens, as opposed to adults. Here are some reasons it can be different for your teens, which might give you more insight into why it is so useful for them.
Being a Teenager Has Unique Challenges
You probably remember being a teenager. It is a really complicated, confusing time where hormones seem to run your life. With these unique challenges, it makes sense that journaling can be a little different during this time in your kids’ life.
With these challenges, it sometimes feels like you don’t know where you fit in, or really who to talk to, aside from your friends. But there might be things you don’t want to tell your friends because you don’t know if they will understand. That is the beauty of writing in a journal, and being able to express any challenges you face to understand a little more about being a teenager.
Journaling Provides a Creative, Safe Outlet
Everyone wants to feel like their thoughts and feelings are private, but teenagers often don’t feel like they have this freedom. With journaling, they feel like they have one place that is all theirs, and this can nurture their creativity and open up so much in them that they didn’t realize they possess.
Just writing in a journal is a creative process, whether doing stream of consciousness style where you write whatever comes to mind, you use writing prompts to answer your questions, or you are dealing with something you just want to write about.
Self-Expression is Vital for Teenagers
Journaling is also an amazing way for teenagers to express themselves, which is often even more important at this age, than with adults. Whether you are a teenager yourself, or a parent of a teenager, you should understand how important self-expression and being unique at this age truly is.
With a complicated phase of life such as this, it’s hard to really understand who you are, but once you do, you may not know how to express it. Or maybe you have teenagers who seem to be struggling with this very thing. The journal helps them in a way that you might not remember much from when you were this same age.
Giving your teens a way to write out their feelings is therapeutic, simple to do, and gives them a little time away from the computer.
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