Be Aware then Prepare!
By Eileen Der Aris, Certified Life Coach for Young Adults
The United States is beginning the first phases of reopening in several areas of the country. Some states aren’t able to restart so quickly. Even those that are beginning to lift restrictions are very limited as to what they are permitted to do. Businesses and schools are scrambling about, preparing to design a “new normal,” including capacity requirements, cleaning, social distancing, adjusting workplace/class hours, holding continuous health screenings for those entering the workplace, tracing and tracking and reporting all COVID-19 cases. A lot of work is ahead for so many of us and we all need to prepare. Can you imagine what it is like for our young adults in high school who are preparing for the future with college and/or a job? Or our kids in college or those who have recently graduated? How can we help our young adults prepare for what is next when there is already so much unknown about the future?
As businesses and schools do what they need to, young adults need to be “aware then prepare.” What does that mean, exactly? They are just coming out of the throws of adolescence. They have been developing personalities and opinions that are different from ours (as I am sure you have been thrilled to be experiencing!) as they are becoming individuals who are separate from us as parents. Although they behave as if they know everything and you know nothing, please know that they are feeling afraid. It is difficult to be guided your whole life only to be told that you now have to direct yourself. Even before COVID-19, times were different and more difficult for them than for us. Now, this transition is even more intimidating and disconcerting for young adults today.
According to the findings from the March 2020 American Perspectives Survey (APS), younger Americans report much more frequent feelings of loneliness and isolation. Nearly half (48 percent) of young adults (age 18 to 29) say they have felt lonely or isolated at least a few times in the past week. What you can do is allow your young person to learn more about who they are. Help them discover what means most to them. Help them see which areas of their lives need the most focus to feel whole.
Our culture typically values progress and being action-oriented, which is difficult during a pandemic, resulting in even more loss of connection and ultimately self-esteem with an even more unknown future. Even before I teach time management and organizational skills, I teach young adults about themselves first to give them a chance to figure out what is most important to them, which supplies them with a sense of direction for whatever comes next. Becoming more self-aware is critical to figure out what they want to do and what their goals, dreams, and longings are. During this period of lack of socialization and that coaching is done over the phone or virtually, anyhow, when else would be a more perfect time, without the distraction of busy schoolwork and social life, to figure these things out?
Here are some questions that can help your Young Adult begin that process of learning about themselves:
- Think about common threads in books or movies you love
- Why are these ideas significant to you?
- What do you remember loving to do as a child?
- What inspires you?
- What are the hobbies you’ve loved or wish to explore?
- Where have you always wanted to travel and what attracts you to that location?
- What are you grateful for in your life?
- How can you make the world a better place?
Activities such as writing thoughts in a journal can also help, as ideas may come that had never been expected. Also, look into making a vision board. By creating and continuously looking at this creation, there is a focused reminder of how your young adult wants to feel. Everything that has always been meaningful and hoped for can be put on it and be brought to life!
This awareness is an important first step. If your young adult isn’t thrilled with their parent giving them activities (as mine often aren’t!), consider seeing a therapist or a life coach where they won’t have to feel the annoying parent’s invasion! Either way, please remember what Dr. Julie Conner, teen mental health advocate, author, and TED speaker says, “Goals without a dream are like arrows without a target.” So, take this time to help your young adult to, “Be aware then prepare.”
Take care and be safe.
With Warmth and Respect,
Eileen
Eileen Der Aris, MS, Ed, CPC, ELI-MP
Rising Adults Coaching
Certified Life Coach for Young Adults
www.RisingAdultsCoaching.com
Eileen@Risingadultscoaching.com
516-650-2540