80. What to Do When Your Teen Is Stuck in Unhealthy Behavior?

Parenting Post-Wilderness: Parenting a Struggling Teen Before, During and After Treatment

80. What to Do When Your Teen Is Stuck in Unhealthy Behavior?

Have you ever found yourself in that heart-wrenching place where you're watching your child or young adult spiral into unhealthy behaviors? Seth and I know that pain all too well, both from our professional experiences and personal journeys.

Today, we delve deep into the complexities of this tough subject. We don’t just offer practical advice, but also share our own struggles:

• Listen to Seth recounting his own experiences when he was stuck in unhealthy behavior and witness the raw emotions involved.
• And Beth’s story of how she worked through a situation as a parent in which she had to figure out whether her support had turned into enabling.

Navigating unhealthy patterns is tough terrain. It requires patience, empathy, and sometimes the courage to set healthy boundaries. While there's no one-size-fits-all solution, there is hope in the journey of self-discovery and growth.

In this episode on what to do when your teen is stuck in unhealthy behavior, we discuss:

• The challenging issue of dealing with unhealthy behaviors in teenagers and young adults;
• The importance of validation for parents experiencing these challenges;
• Seth’s personal journey of resistance to change despite recognizing the need for it, highlighting the complexities involved in seeking help and making changes;
• What did Seth experience as helpful from his loved ones when he was stuck in unhealthy behavior?
• How can you recognize when support turns into enabling?;
• The role of changing environments in addressing unhealthy behaviors;
• The importance of addressing underlying issues rather than simply changing environments or behaviors;
• Beth shares a personal example of making decisions from an emotional state versus a rational, objective mindset;
• The importance of processing emotions and thoughts before making decisions;
• The two feelings Beth looks for as a green flag to know she’s ready to make a big decision;
• Looking for the rainbow of options in between black-and-white thinking.
• The importance of open communication, setting boundaries, and considering what individuals are comfortable with regarding support and enabling behaviors;
• Communicating with your teen from a non-emotional, objective state;
• Approaching the situation with love and curiosity rather than judgment or control.

Other episodes mentioned:

• #71 How to Live with a Teen Who’s Using
• #75 Fear-Based Parenting (on supporting vs. enabling)

Need support?

🗺️Need help setting healthy boundaries with your teen AND following through? My free guide will help you do so by creating your own Parent Home Plan!

🤍Influence lasting change in yourself and your struggling teen with my private coaching or parent group program specifically created for parents of struggling teens.

Ps. Are you getting great value out of this podcast? It would mean the world to me if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This way, you will help me reach and help more parents of struggling teens develop healthy responses and boundaries instead of acting out of fear and anxiety. You can leave a review by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, tapping to leave a star rating and then write your review. Thanks so much!

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