How Attachment Disorders Make the Holiday Season Rough

How Attachment Disorders Make the Holiday Season Rough

When your teenager is struggling with attachment disorders, it can make every week a real challenge. When the winter holidays come around, teens with attachment disorders can actually become more troubled and their symptoms more pronounced. Here are some ideas on how you as a parent may see your teen’s attachment disorder symptoms magnify during the holiday season.

Aversion to Physical Touch

Attachment disorder makes teens uncomfortable with demonstrations of physical affection. Of course, during the holidays, there are often parties, visits with relatives and even school performances or concerts that put teens in a position to receive physical affection like hugs or kisses when they wouldn’t normally have to. You can help your teenager by running interference with relatives and giving them plenty of space as needed, using verbal praise and words of affection instead.

Anger Issues

It’s not unusual for teens with attachment disorders to display anger and become irritated at even the smallest things. The holiday season, while joyous for many, is actually a trigger for anxiety, depression and stress for many. When your teenager is acting unusually angry or losing their temper more often lately, it could be the stress of the holidays. Make sure you give your teenager plenty of time on their own, and reduce the number of events, festivities and celebrations to just the most meaningful ones to reduce the stimulation.

Loss of Control

Teens with attachment disorders benefit when they have a strict schedule and they feel in control of their world. In other words, when unexpected things happen and schedules are disrupted, it can make them feel out

of control and usher in a range of bad behaviors. The holidays are full of exceptions to normal schedules, from parties and celebrations to new food and new people. Even some of the most cherished holiday traditions may be viewed as interfering with a troubled teen’s carefully constructed life. Parents can help their teens with attachment disorders by making as few changes as possible to the family’s daily routine and giving the teen plenty of notice when things will indeed be different.

Dealing with attachment disorder in your teenager is challenging no matter what time of year, and there are plenty of reasons to look at the holiday season with dread because of all the extra triggers that you and your family will face. However, if you spend time strengthening your relationship with your teenager during the year, plus minimizing the impact that the holidays can have on your troubled teen, your family can look forward to the season instead of dreading it. Remember to bond as much as possible, plan low-key and meaningful activities together, and allow your teen to express themselves and take the space they need to get through the season.

Request Free Admissions Information

Step 1 of 3 - Your Contact Info

Written by Natalie

9 Dec, 2015

Recent Posts

What Are The Best Programs for Troubled Teens?

What Are The Best Programs for Troubled Teens?

If you have a troubled teen or a teen otherwise in crisis, it may have been suggested that you consider a therapeutic boarding school or a residential treatment center. While you know your teen needs more help and better therapeutic options, you may hesitate to...

Is My Teenager Gaslighting?

Is My Teenager Gaslighting?

Does it sometimes feel like your teenager is making you doubt yourself, doubt the things you’ve said, and even feel confused about what you have or haven’t said? If you’re confused just by trying to figure it out, there are good odds that your teenager is gaslighting...

10 Fall Activities To Do With Your Teen

10 Fall Activities To Do With Your Teen

The holidays will be here before we know it - and now is the perfect time to reconnect with your teen before the hustle and bustle of the winter season arrives. Not only can you show your teen that you’re available to them for time outside of work and school, but you...

Help! My Teen is Sexually Active.

Help! My Teen is Sexually Active.

It’s the conversation many of us have been dreading for years: Talking to your sexually active teens about what they are doing, how they need to be safe, and how to recognize red flags in their sexually active life. As much as we’d like to simply bury our heads and...

Conflict Resolution for Teens

Conflict Resolution for Teens

Conflict can be stressful no matter how old you are. Unfortunately, conflict is just part of life. Teens can feel conflict to be very personal and even scary, leading to behaviors that are not optimal for dealing with this stress. Teens also are more likely to be...

How Do I Control My Anger as A Teenager?

How Do I Control My Anger as A Teenager?

Your teen years are filled with rollercoasters of emotions, confusion, frustration, and so much more. Parents may say that the teen years are challenging for them, but it could just be that they’ve forgotten just how it feels to be a teen. And indeed, parents today...

You May Also Like…

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *