Whether you have just become a teenager or you are in your mid-teens or about to go to university/ work as a young adult, it is a time where you would like to become more independent, make your own decisions and choices and enjoy time with your friends and have some fun.

In your early teens to mid-teens, you’ve got a lot of hormonal activity going on inside you and your brain is doing amazing things getting you ready for adult life.

We are all very different in how we are ‘wired’, and a lot depends on how our foundational systems developed. If as a younger child, one of your systems got a little ‘stuck’, it can impact on some areas in your day to day life and make you who you are. This is ok as long as it doesn’t stop you from doing what you want to do, or make you unhappy, or cause a lack of confidence in who you are, or make you very anxious about everything.

It’s very important that if you have any concerns about things that perhaps aren’t going as well as you like, at home or with your studies or with friends, that you try and understand what’s going on.

Part of growing up and becoming an adult is being self-aware how to look after yourself well and knowing when to ask for help.

Take a look at the examples below as well as the list of symptoms to see if any of it is familiar to you:

• You may be really good at some things but really not particularly good at others e.g. you may be great at maths and science, but not good at Art or Design & Technology.
• Movement: you’re a bit of fidget, constantly buzzing around, rocking back and forth and used to get called out by the teacher for it. Or you avoid certain types of movement completely, hate going on buses or long car journeys, hate being upside down or spinning around , don’t enjoy rides at fun fairs.
• Sport: you like some exercise but can’t do ‘traditional’ or organised sport and never get picked for the school teams. Endurance is an issue. So, you tend to avoid sport completely.
• You may be prone to tripping up or getting bumps and bruises regularly.
• You may really want to have a group of friends and go to parties, but don’t get invited or are too shy.
• You may find that it is hard to make friends or you may prefer just to be on your own or at home.
• You may get very anxious about things and this affects your day and how you get things done. You can get very anxious and have major FOMO. You know it, you don’t like it but you don’t know what to do about it.
• You have concerns about the way you look to a point that it affects your wellbeing
• You may be very tactile sensitive, and not like touch from another person. You may still like hugs and kisses ,but the approach is very awkward for you, so you avoid it.
• You may really want to start dating but think that because you find touch very sensitive you think it will never happen for you.
• You may seek to touch textures/objects too much, causing others to be uncomfortable around you or wonder why you are doing that.
• You may find that you are really uncomfortable in some places, like restaurants and cafes, or train stations or where it’s crowded, and people get too close to you or bump into you. Or it’s too noisy and you can’t hear what’s being said so you miss key bits of information.
• You may get told off for being too messy or told to grow up a bit because you’re a little clumsy or awkward. You worry about being in social situations where you may knock something over or spill something.
• You may need to really plan everything, even the smallest task, very carefully in order to anticipate any problems.
• You may find writing difficult, even though you’ve practised for years.
• You can’t cook or use a can opener or corkscrew.
• You don’t think you’ll ever drive a car because you’re too uncoordinated.
• You may be called a day dreamer and find that you are always behind, forgetful, late, can’t find stuff or lose stuff.
• You may be told that you are annoying or too loud when you speak. You may have often been told to use your ‘inside voice’ when you were younger.
• You may think people laugh at you because of the way you are and that makes you unhappy.
• You may be bullied, or you bully someone or are rough with animals (not meaning to, but unaware of how much pressure/strength you use with them).

The above are just some situations you may find familiar. See attached list of that symptoms you may want to go through.

Sterling Practice can help you understand why you behave in certain ways and work with you to find a tailored programme of support, through strategies and exercises that you can do yourself or with a personal trainer or therapist.

This programme will help to mature the system that got ‘stuck’ so that your response to the stimuli that prevents you from doing the activities you would like to do improves.

Call us directly or talk to your parents, school or college and ask them to arrange a consultation with us. We offer 1:1 sessions, small group social sessions and therapies.