DO YOU remember being a teenager? Or is it that you're currently in the thick of your adolescent years? Or, are you the parent of the youth of today?
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Well, if you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, you can remember the stress that comes with living through the trials and tribulations of teenage years.
That's why Lachlan Mitchell has teamed up with several members of the Australian Emotional Wellness Association to create an Emotional First Aid program, designed for young people and their parents.
And the first step of the program is a free forum.
The forum, which will be held on Monday, May 13 from Upstairs, Bathurst, is aimed to be a conversational tool for families to discuss any issues, while brainstorm healthy ways to navigating these issues.
"We want to hear about the issues that people are dealing with ... we want people to be able to express what they're struggling with and what they've actually tried, and what doesn't work," he said.
"We also want to tell them about a program that we have been using."
From 4.30pm on the day, Mr Mitchell will be sharing his knowledge of managing stress.
And it's knowledge that he has gained through 50 years of professional experience.
"For 20 years I worked at Bloomfield, I was a nurse there, and then for another 30 years, I was a parole officer," Mr Mitchell said.
"And the unfortunate thing was that the system is set up to support people in their struggles, but not to give them the tools that they need to change."
That is where the forum comes in.
At the event, parents and young people will be armed with the tools that they need to understand the biology of emotions and stress reactions.
This is so that people can avoid entering stress-induced loops.
Understanding the biology of emotions
"When you're stressed, what I have found is that your frontal lobe tends to shut down, and when you're in a fight or flight mode, you can't think very clearly," Mr Mitchell said
"There's all sorts of stressors in our everyday life ... so we can't avoid stress, but we can settle our stress reaction and do it fairly quickly.
"So, what we teach is ... understanding the biology of our emotions.
"If we can teach people that this is what's happening, and if you can become present and stop the negative thoughts, and then you can stop that negative reaction."
Following this forum, attendees are able to decide whether to continue with the Emotional First Aid program by signing up to attend the five follow-up sessions.
These sessions will teach practical solutions to actively de-stress.
"The forum is to bring people together, and we will explain the program, and invite people to take part in it," Mr Mitchell said.
To sign up for the event, visit the Australian Emotional Wellness Association, or look for the QR code, which has been advertised around Bathurst.
