A program at Oak Lawn Public Library is helping take the edge off of life’s pressures for teens, whether worries about grades, the future or simply fitting in.

The stress can be especially tough over the holidays, so the library recently treated teens to some dog therapy as part of the Teen Self Care Slow Down program. Dogs from Love on a Leash were on hand to nuzzle hands and wag their tails as teens sat on the floor with them and chatted with volunteers from the South Side Chicago group.

The library program offers other ways to relax and feel good, too, including sensory activities.

During a recent session, they made “stress balls” by filling balloons with flour. Jazz or other soothing music often plays in the background during the program, but only if it fits the teens’ tastes. They also do coloring activities using geometric patterns.

For Grady Gilhooly, a sophomore at Richards High School in Oak Lawn, squeezing the stress ball he created was helpful — “It calmed me down,” he said — along with the atmosphere in general at the club. Grady, who has an orange cat at home, also enjoyed the pet therapy because he loves dogs.

Jason Molenaar, who attends Oak Lawn Community High School, said the room has a relaxing vibe, pointing to the rows of popular books, comfortable seating and games.

Both teens said they had found ways around some of the stressors in their lives, including things like annoying music or people talking loudly. Their coping mechanisms helped at this time of year, too.

“For me, I don’t really mind,” said Grady about the periodic distractions in the room and elsewhere. “If anything, it just cancels out. … I’m really relaxed here. It’s definitely an acquired skill, mostly just practicing going in loud places and trying to find peace in the loudness.”

Jason agreed, though he, too, appreciated the quiet.

“I’m here for the quiet music,” said Jason. “It’s different compared to the rest of the week when it’s usually louder. It’s a much more chill, calmer vibe.”

Jason Molenaar interacts with a dog from the South Side chapter of Love on a Leash during a recent session of the Teen Self Care Slow Down program at Oak Lawn Public Library. (Janice Neumann/Daily Southtown)

A dog lover with several at home, Jason, too, was excited to spend time with the therapy dogs.

Librarian Nicholas Vidmar, who started the Slow-Down program several months ago, said some trial and error was involved in coming up with ideas to help teens relax. Vidmar, who has a master’s degree in Library Science and bachelor’s degrees in history and psychology, said some of the techniques were developed for young people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or social anxiety disorder.

“For some of them, traditional meditation music, quiet gongs, humming, for that group, it sounds like nails on a chalkboard,” said Vidmar. “I tried it and they all hated it.

“Their relaxation music is very fast, noisy and basically sounds like static for the most part, to me, but they love it,” said Vidmar.

He tends to mix things up to fit the mood and audience.

“The program shifts wildly based on who is there, ” said Vidmar. “It’s like, okay, we’re going to turn off the quiet music and scream at each other over video games.”

Vidmar also said the teens seemed to like the space. Many are “nerds” and hang out at the library all the time.

“The space the library offers is more kind of quiet, focused on niche interests and they tend to be like, ‘I love this thing … I don’t want to deal with other people,” he said.

Tori Zart, the library’s Teen Services assistant who helped out at the pet therapy event, said she was struck by the teens’ acceptance of their own differences.

“I like how willing to participate in other peoples’ interests they are,” she said. “They’ll all kind of jump in and welcome a new person.”

The Teen Self Care Slow Down program at Oak Lawn Public Library recently featured a visit from dogs from the South Side chapter of Love on a Leash. It’s one of the many activities designed to help teens decompress from their sometimes hectic lives, especially during the holidays. (Janice Neumann/Daily Southtown)

Participants recently posted comments on the library’s Teen Room Discord platform about the pressures in their lives. Some added how they dealt with them.

“I bottle up everything inside,” said one poster. “I spend time with friends and creative projects to use that energy.”

Another mentioned being bothered by seasonal depression, grade pressure and finals, explaining, “I tend to escape by being around people and playing games.”

Vidmar also offered some de-stressing tips for people at this time of year.

“I think everyone tends to start to feel overwhelmed at this time, and some people shut down because there is too much to do,” said Vidmar. “That is where bandwidth comes in, instead of “there is too much to do” bandwidth means “there is too much to do at once.”

“A part of what eats up bandwidth is the worry over incomplete tasks and closing loops is finishing those small tasks to see progress and remove that passive worrying stress,” he said.

Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/oak-lawn-library-teen-slow-down/