The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents

In teenagers, powerful emotions are the rule, not the exception. Unfortunately, many of today’s parents now regard their teens’ negative feelings as disruptive, dangerous or diagnosable, thanks to the rise of the wellness industry and the widespread availability of psychotropic drugs. To make matters worse, the global pandemic, mounting academic pressures, social media stress and a threatening environmental future have left today’s teenagers feeling overwhelmed. In THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF TEENAGERS, bestselling author and clinical psychologist Dr Lisa Damour provides practical advice for parents and care-givers, showing them that a teenager’s mental health isn’t just about feeling good. She explains that mental health means having the appropriate feelings at the appropriate time, and shows how parents can help their teens regulate those feelings to avoid emotional floods. She also provides strategies to keep teens from being overwhelmed by their emotions, so that they aren’t at the mercy of their moods. Finally, she explains how to deal with teens’ arguments, risk-taking, romance, friendships, social media and much more, as well as offering strategies for parents that will encourage their teens to open up to them. With concrete, relatable explanations embedded in vibrant, real-life anecdotes, this book gives parents the science-based information they need to guide their teens through a challenging developmental phase during challenging times.