The stress and anxiety kids are suffering with these days feels like an epidemic, doesn’t it? We are seeing it being talked about on just about every platform you can find; Teens and Anxiety - Stressed-out Kids. Here is the deal, I really don’t think this is anything new. If I were to guess, I imagine it has always been lurking around, buried deep in hiding, unable to be freely shared with confidence.
Anxiety is something I have struggled with for decades and for the majority of my life I thought I was alone in it. It just wasn’t something people would easily talk about up until a few years ago. I think there was a fear of being seen as messed up, or broken. I know I was afraid that if I talked about it I would be questioned on a core level. It was scary to think about making myself vulnerable like that.
I have to say I am impressed with the parents teaching their kids it is a-okay to talk about it. I think this is the first key to breaking it down. Just talking about it helps to release some of the pressure and the shame factor that comes with it.
Reminding your kids that a certain level of anxiety is actually normal can feel quite freeing to them. We were created to have a large range of emotions day to day, week to week, month to month. Life is not rosy all of the time, we don’t always get it right, sad things happen, pressure and demands build at times, and YES we experience JOY, PEACE + LAUGHTER in the mix of it as well. We are meant to feel it all, feeling it and recognizing it makes for a really strong, healthy mind.
The problem is when we become what I call BRAIN STUCK. We aren’t able to shift our thoughts out of gear into a better space. At that point we may need a little assistance. The great thing is with a few easy options your kiddos will be able to help themselves relax their minds and take a deep breath. And if they have more than one choice to select from it can increase their chances to overcome it, Choices give them a sense of control, freedom and most importantly HOPE. They identify their struggle, they choose what they think the best option is to work through it. If it doesn’t quite cut it, they pull out another option. BOOM. And the great news is, these options are safe, gentle, and good for their developing bodies.