The Coronavirus and resultant lockdowns have changed more than the landscape of life in America; they have recreated the foundation of connection for kids, for families, for communities. People have no alternative but to face the reality of isolation in the COVID climate. Every day, we see the infection and death numbers on our TV screens. Yet very few understand the collateral damage and the real-life loss from despair unfolding right now. Even fewer understand how long this damage may last and how many families it may actually affect.  These effects, unfortunately, may even dwarf COVID numbers.

That’s bad news, obviously. It’s a difficult thing to read and just as difficult for me to write. But there is good news. There is always good news. Some of the lessons we learned from COVID are applicable with addiction and suicide. Some of the solutions we implemented are just as effective in protecting society from this damage. Prevention is the most effective tool we have against a virus and a pandemic. Education is the key to prevention, and parents and guardians are the key holders. We all need to be educated.

This education—the education about substance use, misuse and abuse—needs to happen now more than ever before. Substance use is up across America. The CDC states that 13 percent of Americans have either started or increased substance use to cope with pandemic-related stress or emotions. That number represents 43 million people. The most cited reason among them is isolation! This increased substance use will lead to higher overdose rates, suicide rates and crude death rates nationwide.

The increase of substance abuse is proportionately higher among adolescents. There are many factors contributing to this, and substance abuse by adults is a key contributing factor. Isolation is obviously affecting our youth. Many are disconnected. Learning online sounds like a great theory to some but it does not address what students really need right now, nor does it provide what kids need from school: things like connection, physical education, socialization. These are all lacking in the remote learning system, potentially compounding the isolation and impacting them long-term.

There is also fear, academic regression and the extension of the “summer slide,” a period in which students fall behind. Virtual distance learning will never address that. In Tennessee, an estimated 24 percent of all students do not even have a reliable internet connection. These rates are the highest in the more rural areas. For some of those students, the regression will be irreversible.

Across America right now, kids, parents and educators feel stress, much of it related to the COVID lockdowns. People have various ways of defining and handling this stress, so this month, I want to provide encouragement by offering a resource for families suffering the effects of stress.

Steered Straight offers a stress and anxiety tool on its website. It’s geared toward teens, but it is appropriate and effective for use by people of all ages.

Stress is that uncomfortable feeling you get when you’re worried, scared, angry, frustrated or overwhelmed. It is caused by emotions, but it also affects your mood and body. Many adults think that teens don’t have stress because they don’t have to work and support a family. They are missing the point, and they are wrong!

Stress:

Stress is an important survival tool that can keep you alert and focused. But when you’re not dealing with an actual survival issue, it can make you uncomfortable and interfere with your ability to think through the problem.

The body reacts to stress when the brain tells the body to prepare for an emergency. Stress hormones are telling us to run, and it takes a physical response to use them up.

Emotions play an important role in how our bodies experience stress. How we think about a stressful situation and what we choose to do about it affects how it makes us feel.

The guide will show parents and teens how to create a personal 10-point stress-management plan.

The guide is broken down into parts and steps as follows:

Tackling the Problem
1: Identify and Address the Problem
2: Avoid Stress When Possible
3: Let Some Things Go

Taking Care of My Body
4: The Power of Exercise
5: Active Relaxation
6: Eat Well
7: Sleep Well

Dealing With Emotions
8: Take Instant Vacations
9: Release Emotional Tension

Making the World Better
10: Contribute to the World

Download this free stress management guide at steeredstraight.org. Share it with loved ones and friends. In our current environment, with stress being more universally felt, there has never been a more important time to handle it, especially for teens.