Many young adults in the United States and across the globe are just not launching themselves properly. They are often faced with increased stress, anxiety, and mental health challenges. As such, they are impacted by their ability to make decisions and set long-term goals.
This episode can benefit parents, particularly those who find it difficult to help their teen or young adult in launching themselves and are stuck in life. Make sure to read through these strategies to help you get back in touch with your child and help them take the necessary steps for positive change.
Identify the main issue and understand what failure to launch is.
To properly resolve the issue, we have to really identify the main or underlying issue that is contributing to your teen’s failure to launch. By tracing the root causes, parents and mental health providers can develop appropriate strategies to overcome these obstacles and help young adults cope and launch themselves successfully.
Mental health tends to be one of the biggest issues holding kids back. We have to understand how mental health affects motivation and how the brain gets stuck. Once you understand that the brain is stuck, the behavior is stuck.
Mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders, can significantly affect an individual's motivation and can often lead to feelings of hopelessness and a lack of interest in activities. This can also lead to difficulties in setting goals and planning steps on how to achieve them affecting their motivation to move forward.
Give your kid opportunities for independence
It is understandable that as parents, we expect a lot from our kids and we tend to bubble wrap them. However, we have to keep in mind that as our kids emerge, we also need to give them space and opportunities for independence.
Being overly reliant on parents or others for support can hinder a kid’s motivation to take independent actions. And if they don't have those opportunities to be successful, when you launch them, they are going to have a hard time coping.
Communication is the key.
You've got to find a way to connect because you're certainly not going to fix this on your own. You can also find someone who has experience with kids that are stuck developmentally.
However, setting boundaries is also needed. This allows individuals to express their preferences, opinions, and personal space and prevent misunderstandings and conflicts by defining what is acceptable and respectful behavior. This creates a positive and safe environment for both parents and kids.
Boundaries help children develop a sense of independence. When both parties know what to expect and what is considered respectful, they can engage in honest and constructive conversations.
Providing comfort and relieving stress.
It comes naturally to parents to help relieve their kid’s stress and provide them comfort when they are distressed. However, if we do this frequently, you’re establishing a pattern of relieving your kids from different issues causing them to be stuck.
While it's natural for parents to want to provide comfort and support to their children, it's important to strike a balance between offering assistance and allowing them to develop essential skills for handling challenges. This requires patience, as it can be challenging to witness our children facing difficulties. However, it's essential for their long-term development.
Successfully launching young adults into adulthood requires more than just pushing them out into the world; it requires equipping them with the necessary skills, tools, resources, and support to navigate the challenges they'll face in the future.
You can also consider doing neurofeedback as it helps to self regulate the brain. Then, layer that with strategies to overcome failure to launch. By acknowledging and breaking the barriers that hinder young adults' progress, we can pave the way for a generation that embraces resilience, purpose, and the necessary tools for success.
To learn more about failure to launch, you can read the following blog posts:
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