For a 90-minute INSET at city of London School on teenage brain/stress + strategies

1. Understanding
adolescence:
brains and stresses
with Nicola Morgan
Information, classroom materials
and free resources:
www.nicolamorgan.com

2. More information
• Your handouts
• My books
• Teaching resources
– Website
– Brain Sticks
• www.nicolamorgan.com
• Free Brain Sane newsletter: wellbeing, brains, adolescence,
stress, science of reading and learning, digital/online effects

3. To consider today
A. Why? Explanations for the stereotypes – a
whizz through the brain changes
B. Stress and teenagers – what’s so special?
– Why should schools care anyway?
C. Five main strategies for schools

4. Core conditions for counselling
A. Acceptance
B. Understanding
C. Genuineness

5. What makes adolescence special?
A. State of Brain – internal pressures
B. Stage of Life – external pressures
Warning: generalisations!
Yes, they are all individuals…

6. Brain differences
1. Major changes in neural connections 11+
(Boys usually later than girls)
2. Prefrontal cortex
develops last (mid-20s)
Amygdala
PFC

7.  Consequences 
Strong amygdala vs weak prefrontal cortex
affects:
– Emotions:
• volatility and control
– Empathy
– Impulse control
– Peer pressure behaviour
– And risk-taking

8. More challenges from brain changes
• Possible loss of a previous skill
• Sleep problems
– The double whammy

9. External stresses

10. First, what is stress?
• Biological response to threat
– Designed to maximise performance
– Adrenalin + cortisol
• So, what’s the problem?
– If increases to panic levels
– If cortisol builds up
– Brain bandwidth and “preoccupation”

11. “Preoccupation”
• If part of our attention is on something else,
we cannot perform 100% on the task in hand
– The “bandwidth” analogy
– Intrusive thoughts; worries; self-consciousness
• Preoccupation diminishes performance/IQ:
1. Cognitive capacity (aspects of learning)
2. Executive control (aspects of behaviour)
Both The Organised Mind and Scarcity cover this

12. What’s special about teenage stress?
• Some biological differences?
• Change: (brains, bodies, chemistry,) friends,
fears, expectations, pressures
• Lack of/need for control
– A regular schoolday
• “Scarcity” – of money, time, food
Scarcity by Mullainathan & Shafir
• “New” stresses:

13. 1. Over-examined and over here
• Exams: higher pressure, frequency + stakes
• Constant pressure
 cortisol build-up

14. 2. The effects of the Internet
• Knowledge – for better and…
– Info overload
– Repetition of bad news  emotional effect
• Social networking – very important, but…
– More connections than Dunbar’s Number
– Competition; unrealistic goal of perfection
– Self-consciousness and lack of privacy
– Cyber-bullying

15. The consequences?

16. Problematic consequences
• Preoccupation  poorer concentration
• ‘Generation K’ (Katniss) - Noreena Hertz of UCL
• MH issues? Self-harming up: 68% 2004-2014
• Digital overload – ‘continual partial attention’
– Poorer concentration? Better at skimming?
– Weaker thinking skills?
• Less resilience – a trend to be cautious about?
• Theft of time

17. 1. Build resilience
• Resilience does not come from cotton-wool
– Warning about trigger-warnings
• Nor from neglect or “stiff upper lip”
• Helicopter parenting vs safety net parenting
– Teach skills; allow failure and trying again

18. Resilience is helped by:
• “Growth” (not “fixed”) mindset – Carol Dweck
– “Drive” by Daniel Pink also covers her work
• Praising effort above talent
• Understanding “character strengths” – see
Authentic Happiness website
• Turning “failure” into learning
• Recognising who needs extra support:
perfectionists, Type A, neglected etc

19. 2. Educate about stress
• What stress IS – good and bad
– RELAXATION IS NOT A LUXURY
• Strategies:
A. Breathing skills – for panic or general relaxation
B. Down-time – activities to reduce cortisol
~ Different ~ Varied ~ Deliberate
Switch off screens?? Physical exercise excellent
C. Perspective:
~ you are not alone ~ this is not forever ~ talk

20. 3. Value and cater for introverts
Introverts:
– Expend energy in all social interaction
– May not do best work when collaborating
– Extra need for quiet time
– May also “ruminate” excessively
– Likely to feel inadequate compared to extroverts
“Quiet” by Susan Cain – and her website

21. www.freedomtothinksite.tumblr.com
@iamfree2think
“EVERYONE needs time and space to discover the possibilities
within themselves.” Jonathan Stroud, children’s author
Freedom To Think:
promoting creative time for young people

22. 4. Promote better sleep

23. Educate re “sleep hygiene”
• See handouts
• Crucial role of screen-based devices
– Mimic daylight?
– Exciting and awakening
– Bring potential stressors
– Therefore may hinder sleep and increase stress

24. 5. Promote Readaxation

25. Readaxation
Definition: “Reading to relax, as a conscious strategy
for wellbeing and stress management. The aim is to
feel and function well.”

26. Science behind Readaxation
Reading Agency Literature Review 2015 – huge
meta-study (see my website)
• Self-esteem; greater life satisfaction
• Increased vocab and general knowledge
• Increased empathy + self-understanding
• Better mood + relationships
• Reduced stress

27. Why does reading de-stress?
• Readers feel effect – try my Readaxation diary
as an activity
• Allows “engagement” / “flow”
• Chance to forget worries – a CBT effect
• Free choice is important; avoid judgement

28. Let them take risks

29. Don’t fear teenage novels
• Increase self-knowledge at time of change
• Increase empathy when most needed
• Explore big questions when just ready
• Allow risk-taking and boundary-crossing
• Allow ‘engagement’ – contributing to
wellbeing and switching off anxiety
• BUT caution – role of school librarians

31. To sum up strategies:
1. Build resilience
2. Educate about stress – need for time-out
3. Cater for introvert tendencies
4. Promote better sleep
5. Promote readaxation
A holistic way of boosting health, wellbeing
and performance, for life

32. Acceptance, understanding,
genuineness?

33. Understanding
Adolescence
with Nicola Morgan
Information, events, training, classroom
resources and chances to win books:
www.nicolamorgan.com

34. www.nicolamorgan.com
www.nicolamorgan.com