Adolescence is filled with a whirlwind of challenges, from bodily changes and social pressures to academic stress. For some teenagers, panic attacks might be a new reaction to these issues. A panic attack is a sudden and sharp rise in anxiety accompanied by physical symptoms, such as a racing heart or queasy stomach. The visceral symptoms are an adaptive response to the perception of danger. As an educator or parent, it is critical to understand this anxiety so you can help an adolescent cope with the experience. Read on to learn about the reactions that accompany a panic attack and how to manage them.

Anxiety is a sense of nervousness, uneasiness, fear or dread of what is about to happen or what might transpire. It can be mild or intense, depending on the teen and the situation. For minors having a panic attack for the first time, it can feel strange, scary and confusing. The experience may start with a tightening in the chest, which can make it hard to breathe. In addition, the entire body might begin to shake, and excessive sweating or blurred vision may follow.

Comforting a teen during or after an attack could help him or her ward off future episodes, especially as he or she understands more about the physical manifestations of anxiety. Have the adolescent take long, deep breaths by inhaling and exhaling for about four seconds each. Deep breathing techniques can relax the body and should pull attention away from anxious or negative thoughts. You can also encourage the teen to practice regular exercise, such as yoga. Physical activity can decrease stress, boost confidence and encourage the body to release endorphins that are vital to overall well-being.

The contributing author for this blog article was Dr. Ram Pardeshi. Dr. Pardeshi is the medical director and psychiatrist at Mindful Urgent Care. 

Hello, PATH Parents!

June has flown by, and summer is officially ON! July is my favorite month of summer vacation because it is the one month that doesn't involve school at all, so it feels like the real "break" we've all been aching for by the end of the school year. Of course, distance learning (AKA schooling from home), has caused some of us to yearn for it all the more. July is the month where we can fully enjoy relaxed schedules and outdoor fun. But it's also the month that our teens start to get bored. They are looking for things to do and often come to us for ideas that can be hard to come by as we have adult responsibilities already keeping us busy, leaving little time for researching solutions or becoming our teens' daily activity director. However, if we're only telling our teens to "get creative and figure it out," they will most likely take the road of least resistance by grabbing their phones, jumping online via their computer, or watching TV for hours on end. That may keep them busy, but it's not necessarily a constructive use of their time.

So here are four great ways to keep your teens engaged in something OTHER than mindlessly scrolling through Instagram:

1. GET THEM OUTSIDE AND MOVING. Vitamin D is your teen's friend (especially during a pandemic), so finding ways for your teens to enjoy a little outdoor activity is a great start. We are fortunate in Northwest Indiana to be relatively close to the beach, so some beach days are great for summer fun, whether it's all-day or just for a few hours. If your teen needs to stay closer to home, riding bikes, skateboarding, and roller skating are great activities to not only be outside but also get some needed exercise. If you have a yard, an inexpensive badminton kit will provide hours of fun. Not everyone is great at racket sports, but badminton is one that almost anyone can play immediately with some success (as well as lots of movement and laughter). Pick up a $5 volleyball from Five Below, and that net can be used for volleyball, too. No yard? A paddle ball kit works well in a small space. Or pick up a $5 kickball and a bucket of chalk. Your teen can easily draw a 4-Square court on the driveway and have outside fun with neighbors and friends for hours. (That game is addictive!)

2. GET THEM CREATING. Summer is the only time that our teens have extended hours to work on meaningful projects. If we can get our teens to work on areas that interest them, they can exponentially develop their skill sets over these summer months. Our family has four kids (a 20-year-old son and three teen daughters), and we told them that they have to create something new almost every day of summer (Monday to Friday). Our kids are musicians, so we wanted them to go beyond simply "practicing" their instrument, which is essential to creating something measurable. They have had great fun creating content together (both cover songs and original work), which can be loaded on a personal (and private, if desired) YouTube channel, not to mention different social media outlets (which also can be made private, like Marco Polo videos). If you have an artist, YouTube is FILLED with painting and drawing tutorials. If you have a dancer, there are fun dance videos available with routines for them to master. Budding photographers and videographers can have great fun creating Chatbooks or iMovies. Those who love to write could have fun creating their own short stories or novels. (Did you know that the classic novel Frankenstein was created by the author at age 19 as a summer holiday competition with her friends to see who could write the best ghost story?) Whatever skills your teens have, there are ways to increase those skills with dedicated summer hours.

3. GET THEM READING. Maintaining and advancing reading levels is so important during the summer! But unlike during the school year, your teens can read whatever interests them, even if the material is not difficult. It's all about word count. The more words read, the better! So take a few minutes and help your teens find reading material that they can tackle at least 30 minutes per day. It only takes a few minutes to Google parent-approved reading lists. There is a lot of crazy material out there now (even in local libraries) labeled "teen," so be careful to check out titles online to make sure your teen isn't exposed to material that is too mature. My kids loved The Tripods series (by John Christopher, first book The White Mountains), the Narnia series (by C.S. Lewis), and Conspiracy 365 (by Gabrielle Lord). These were all exciting with danger and adventure but minimal violence and no mature sexual themes. (Again, even though my kids loved these, always check out media before giving it to your children to make sure it passes your family's specific media standards.)

4. GET THEM ENGAGED IN REAL-LIFE ACTIVITIES. Teens develop so much through real-life experience. Winning a video game is not psychologically the same as winning a real-life competition. Watching a documentary on the value of community service cannot hold a candle to the growth achieved by actually doing something to serve one's community. Look for opportunities for your teen to develop real skills. Perhaps your teen can help your family or your neighbors with landscaping projects. Maybe your teen can secure a summer job at the grocery store or intern for free for a professional in your student's area of interest (i.e., photography). Perhaps there are volunteer opportunities at your local food pantry? Any activity that gets them engaged in real-life dynamics has value! I recommend establishing a daily schedule of hours to help keep your teens on task. For example, outdoor and creative activities can be reserved for the day, with TV and movie time saved for after 4 or 5 PM. By giving specific parameters on media use, your teens are forced to get creative and develop important skills during typical school hours. Media can definitely be part of the summer fun (just not the ONLY summer fun ;) ).

My last thought: Make sure that you, as the parent, take time out from work and responsibilities to take care of yourself, too. Make time for recreation that you enjoy and also have some fun with your teens in your yard or driveway. We never get these years back, and they fly surprisingly fast! I hope these tips have been helpful as you make summer memories with your family that will last a lifetime.
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Lisa Raftery

During these chaotic times it may seem extremely difficult and maybe even impossible to understand and act upon the word rest. In a world full of social unrest, constant news updates, and being quarantined, resting can truly be the last thing on someone’s mind. But it is imperative to evaluate your feelings during this time and work through them which can be done in various ways, I will just profile a few of them.

The first is practicing mindfulness and finding solace. This can be done in several ways including praying, meditating, listening to music or something that brings you peace. Find your one practice that brings you peace and start setting a time daily to execute that activity. It could be five minutes, ten minutes or even an hour but work this into your daily schedule. During this time express your emotions about what is going on around you, allow yourself to feel your emotions instead of denying or suppressing them.

We should focus on the things that bring us joy and happiness. Think about this time differently, don’t think of it as being trapped instead think of it as a time of reflection. Practice positivity and gratitude. It can be extremely easy to find the negative aspects of all of this. Instead give to others who are less fortunate than you, create a gratitude list, and talk and interact with the ones you love. Take a break from things that can be emotionally draining and taxing like the news or social media. It’s completely okay to feel overwhelmed by everything that is going on, your feelings are valid.

Next, get active! Walk, run, bike, engage in a physical activity that you enjoy. There are so many benefits to increasing your physical activity during this time which release stress, reduce anxiety and improve your mood. Eat more fruits and vegetables to increase the amount of natural vitamins and minerals that you ingest. Go outside to get some sunshine and enjoy the fresh air. It can be very easy to fall into depression during times like these because we are so uncertain of everything going on around us. But instead of focusing on the things that we can not change, we should focus on the things that we can.
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These are just some of the ways to relax and destress from the current state of the world. Taking it day by day and living in the present will help you to cope and understand your feelings. These are not changes that will occur overnight which is the beauty and power of change. Including these small adjustments and changes in your day by taking five or ten minutes to meditate or exercise will create a huge change in the long run. Be patient with yourself, embrace change, and think positively.