Summer Break is here – with that being said, this is very interesting and insightful:
“Our Culture tells us to be happy, but then evaluates our lives with the razor-thin criteria of financial success and physical beauty. It is no wonder—tragically—that more and more people are taking that razor and cutting themselves with it.” USA Today has an interesting take on the apparent link between American culture and the rise of depression and suicide.
Summer break is often a difficult season for both kids and parents. The daily routine of school is absent, leaving lots of time on your teens’ hands. You’ve probably either heard “I’m bored” at least a hundred times since school let out. In our productivity and screen-obsessed culture, boredom often seems like a bad thing: We’re not busy enough! We don’t have enough media to consume! But summer is a great opportunity to help your family reorient their relationship with boredom. There’s scientific evidence that boredom is a good thing, something that helps our brains refresh and allows space for introspection, daydreaming, and contemplation which can lead to increased creativity. “To be bored is to stop reacting to the external world, and to explore the internal one.” So rather than constantly searching for more ways to be distracted, allow boredom to run its course. “Boredom is an indicator that something deeper is just around the corner…an invitation to center and take stock of ourselves. An opportunity to be engaged in rather than distracted from life.” Encourage your teen to embrace boredom, who knows what great idea or spiritual truth God may whisper to them in the silence.”
This comes from the Culture Translator, a weekly update on pop and culture news geared especially towards helping parents and teenagers walk out their faith! See here: https://axis.org/vol-4-issue-24/
