The Importance of Self-Connection

Let's Do This

As caring adults, we focus a lot on external factors we can influence to help our young people succeed -- setting good routines, thinking about goals, etc.  And those are critical to helping youth grow.  But there are a lot of internal factors we can consider, too!  According to child psychologist and CNBC contributor Reem Raouda, one of the most important of these internal factors is self-connection: the ability to tune into one's own emotions.  "When kids feel safe in who they are, they carry that sense of worth into every relationship, challenge, and decision. When they don’t, it can unravel their self-esteem from the inside out."

How can we as caring adults and supporters nurture self-connection?  Start by validating emotions.  Acknowledge what a young person might be feeling and ask them questions to help them explore those feelings.  Resist the urge to micromanage or "fix" things.  Let your young person tune into their emotions and feel empowered to respond to them in the way they feel is best.  It's also important that we model self-connection by acknowledging our own feelings and helping young people understand our own responses to them: “I’m feeling overwhelmed. I need to take a deep breath.”

Stay Inspired

Click here to read Reem Raouda's full CNBC article to learn more about the benefits of self-connection and ways we can foster it for the young people in our lives.