One of the most challenging phases of life, the teenage years is troublesome both for the teens and family. While there is the joy of your little one finally reaching the threshold of adulthood- there is also the fear of drug or alcohol abuse or any other sort of addiction that have become almost synonymous with teenhood. It’s often the suffocating environment of the city jungle that acts as a major stimulator between such issues among teens and this is where a trip to the wilderness could actually benefit them. There are wilderness troubled teen programs that work to help teens discover their potential amidst nature, away from home.
So, how do you think a trip away from home in the wilderness actually helps the teens? Well, read below to find out.
The wilderness troubled teen boot camps are strategically set in pure natural surroundings, far from the concrete jungle. A life in the wilderness is deeply influenced by the serenity of nature that in turn calms the mind- much needed for teens who are usually impulsive and fickle minded given their raging hormones at this stage. A calm mind is better able to reflect on the wrong choices it has taken in the past, resulting in faulty behaviors, and when one is capable of realizing his wrong doings and decisions, he has already crossed the first stage of recovery.
According to psychologists, nature is capable of shifting the processing modes of the brain. The city life demands a very analytical and focused form of attention and always keeps the mind in an unnecessary rush- such a rush mode rips the ability to sit back and think about the choices made, leading to wrong impulsive decisions in turn. In most of the cases, the aggressive behavior or addiction issues are borne out of the inability to handle the daily rush or stress. On the other hand, a trip to wilderness assures close interaction with the pristine beauty of nature that relaxes the mind, opening up better analytical possibilities that consequently equip the teens to cope more effectively with the demands of the daily life. They return home as a more balanced, rational and calmer individual.
The wilderness teen programs are also planned to teach kids self-sufficiency and a sense of contribution. Life in nature is tedious, as it’s free from the usual conveniences in a city life. The teens carry out their tasks independently, such as making their own food, building shelters all by themselves – and this teaches them that if they don’t take responsibility for their own actions, they would be only depriving themselves of the benefits. For example, if they don’t learn to cook food, they won’t have any meal. Besides, as they gradually learn to do things independently, under the guidance of expert therapists, they come up with a better sense of confidence- a lasting sense that says they too have and can contribute something meaningful to the world.
