Five signs your teen is sad fishing

Sad fishing is the point at which somebody posts something miserable or profound via virtual entertainment to stand out just enough to be noticed.

The main problem with this is, is that a portion of these posts may really be a genuine sob for help.

They do this by posting web-based content that creates or misrepresents their personal battles with direct references to their nervousness, sorrow, or self-destructive contemplations with the objective of getting a reaction from those who come across their posts, status or tweets.

While some of us are guilty of this, it could appear in the form of a song that is excessively worrying, selfies of themselves crying or participating in self-mischief, or even an announcement about how the world would be in an ideal situation without them.

Sadly when this happens they get tormented further aggravating them.

It is therefore critical to ensure you're keeping an eye on everything your children, teens, in this case, post:

One indication that there might be a big issue affecting them is when your tween or high-schooler doesn't ordinarily post anything close to their personal life or emotional stuff anywhere on social media at large. Then unexpectedly they begin to do so.

Do not assume that it is a phase they are going through or that it is a healthy outlet for their feelings. If you don’t know how to approach it, seek professional help from a counsellor.

Teens do not have the best mechanisms for dealing with negative emotions. If you notice that they have overwhelming sadness, sensations of horror, are distracted with thoughts of death, and feel useless, you really need to talk to them.

If you pay enough attention you will notice a behavioural shift. Your once happy, bubbly teen is no longer that out of the blue and they are using the web to post unimaginable content.

As a parent that should worry you.

Teens and young adults look for validation from all the wrong places and that is why you need to tell your children that you are proud of them, they are enough, and other affirmations so they don’t go looking for them.

If your teen feels inadequate for maybe something that happened at home or in school, they are likely to post about it.

This is dangerous because they use people’s reactions, usually their online friends, to gauge how they should feel or react going by the comments made and the number of likes.

The motivation behind why youngsters post gloomy sentiments is the grounds that they anticipate others will comprehend and identify with them.

Usually, when they do this they are feeling low on confidence seeking some attention and some form of consolation from others not to self-harm or give up. When this happens it somehow works as an ego boost.

Your innocent girl is not who she is anymore and as a parent, you can feel that deep down something has changed. Whether she is doing it out of seeking attention or it is a genuine cry for help, you know something is off.

Take note of those subtle changes and how it is affecting their online life and judge whether it is a true indication of their reality or it is a perceived perception of what he or she thinks they are going through.

Conclusion…..

Obviously, the most effective way to stop this from ever really developing is to have a conversation with your children. It may also be a good idea to confiscate or control how they use their phone or any other gadget they use to access the web.

This is not the time to go off on them but rather try to get to the bottom of their behaviour otherwise you may trigger a dangerous reaction. If you don’t have the skills to address their problems, seek professional help immediately.