According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 32% of teens 13-18 years old struggle with an anxiety disorder. There’s a lot we could go into here, but it makes you wonder what’s causing this and what can teens do to reverse the trend? What do happy teens do?

An interesting article by Psychology Today (PT), asked this very question: What do happy teens do? The article primarily pointed out what seems to make teens unhappy and it’s interesting. They found the more time teens spent on their phones, the less happy they were and vice-versa. (Surprise!)

The article noted:

The strongest correlation with happiness is sleep — teens who say they get more than seven hours of sleep more nights are happier. … With the exception of sleep, activities that usually involve being with other people are the most strongly correlated with happiness, and those that involve being alone are the most strongly correlated with unhappiness.

Of course, the Psychology Today article is largely speculation, but it does provide some insight into what affects our happiness. Here are three suggestions to improve your mood:

Get eight or more hours of sleep every night for a week straight. [Stop making excuses, “But I’m a night owl. I love staying up late!” Get eight hours sleep for a week and see how you feel.] Put down your phone (a lot). [Go outside, breathe in the fresh air. Read a book or learn an instrument or make a new friend. Do something other than ogling at your phone all day.] Go spend time face-to-face with friends. [As we can see in Genesis, God did not create us to do life alone. Adam in his perfect state was “lonely” and God said it wasn’t good (Genesis 2:18.]

Possible Preaching Angle:

As Christians, we obviously believe there is more which plays into our happiness than mere science can tell–our fallen nature, sin, the devil, and the world. But sometimes we forget our own humanness and how poor habits can affect our mood. The reality is, your body was not meant to spend hours a day watching YouTube videos or scrolling Instagram. God created us with a need for physical activity, social connection, and rest.

Source:

Christopher Witmer, “What Do Happy Teens Do?” TheRebelution.com (11-28-18)