This week’s AMA (Ask Me Anything) brought forward two really important questions that so many teens girl athletes and parents can relate to right now.

One question actually came in twice this week:

“How do I stay positive during recovery?”

This is a really difficult time for teens girls, especially when the thing you love most is suddenly the thing you can’t do. Sports are so much more than the game for girls- They’re stress relief, identity, routine, emotional release, connection, confidence, and community. Losing access to that, even temporarily, can feel incredibly overwhelming.

What helps teens stay positive during recovery:

• Knowing that recovery isn’t about being positive all the time, the overcoming, resilience, and growth that comes from the "not so easy" times are invaluable!
• Notice the smallest wins, focusing on what’s within your control, and trusting that healing is still happening even when it's not visible.
• Being kind to yourself and continuing to move forward in your recovery process at the same time. Being compassionate with yourself during recovery can feel surprisingly difficult for athletes, especially when there’s such a strong desire to push, improve, and get back to the sport you love. But gentleness doesn’t mean giving up.

The second question:

A parent navigating social media limits, busy schedules, and a teen experiencing a lot of FOMO and feelings of exclusion from friends.

We know how important social connections are during the teen years. Experiences of feeling left out can hit especially hard at this stage of life because belonging and peer relationships are such a central developmental need.

Also let's just name that social media limits and use is a complex issue with a lot of factors!

Our team (Chipo, Pashmeena, and I) brainstormed on this and want to highlight these important points:

• Staying curious and open. Creating space to truly hear your teen’s perspective, what they’re experiencing, what feels difficult, & what their ideal would look like. This can open the door to creative problem-solving and connection.
• Considering the deeper layers underneath the surface of these pleas for more social media: confidence in friendships, feeling connected, or uncertainty around how to build meaningful relationships.
• Thinking of social connections (and all its parts including social media) as an ongoing fluid development. There will insights, experiments, flexibility, conversations, collborations, pivots, and sooo much growth along the way. The long game perspective on this can definitely help.

As always, these conversations aren’t about finding a perfect answer. They’re about creating space for honesty, reflection, support, and growth.

✨ Here are the links to both AMA videos to watch the full responses.

​How to stay positive during injury recovery​

​Social media, friendships, & FOMO​

And lastly, but certainly not least,

I want to share the work of my friend Shoshana Chaim, who is passionate about helping people truly thrive, mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you feel like you’ve been doing all the “right” things but still aren’t seeing the progress you hoped for, there may be more possible at the cellular level. If you're curious, here a video she shared with me to learn more. She's also a world traveller, advocate for youth adventures, and a womens' networking group leader. If you feel compelled to reach out to Shoshana, she would love to connect- shoshanachaim@gmail.com

This Week on Raising Resilient Teen Girls

Rethinking PoSiTiViTy in Injury Recovery Staying positive during recovery for teen girl athletes? Maybe that's not the goal. Read Article

Ask Me Anything (AMA) Have a question you’ve been wondering about asking? A space for teen girls (and parents) to ask honest, real-life questions about confidence, anxiety, sport performance, injury recovery, relationships, and more. Question Form

Last THP Hangouts ☀️ ​Saturday June 6 | 12-130pm | Social Grounds Calgary (Oakridge) Last one before we break for summer! A relaxed hangout to try something new, move a little and connect- just for teen girls! Join us here!