Fall Health and Wellness 2022
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The Needs<br />
.............<br />
NNo ifs, <strong>and</strong>s or buts, being a teenager is difficult. These recent prepubescents have<br />
a lot going on, venturing into newfound knowledge about themselves, navigating expectations<br />
that may be placed onto them <strong>and</strong> balancing their current worldview with things<br />
they have learned in the past <strong>and</strong> the things they know are coming in the future. In all this<br />
newness, the changes to their body, alterations to social expectations <strong>and</strong> shifts in self-image<br />
— sometimes they need a little help. The Journal spoke with County Nurse Manager<br />
Chris Sikes to get some pointers.<br />
“Children that age are becoming more aware of their bodies, they have a better<br />
underst<strong>and</strong>ing of how their bodies work from their childhood experience,” Sikes said.<br />
“They’re learning more in school, they’re learning more about their bodies — they’re finding<br />
out that their bodies are doing these things, <strong>and</strong> they’re going through periods of rapid<br />
growth <strong>and</strong> development during that time — physical, social <strong>and</strong> emotional growth at the<br />
same time. They’re becoming more aware of themselves as a human in all of those<br />
areas. You have to keep in mind all three of those things — mind,<br />
body <strong>and</strong> spirit — when addressing teen health<br />
because all of those things<br />
play a role.”<br />
16<br />
STORY BY TYLER MEISTER....................
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