After talking about why our children and teens are not getting the support they need to manage anxiety last week, I received a lot of questions about what might be causing their anxiety. In this episode of Overpowering Emotions, I delve deeper into this topic and try to understand some of the most important factors that contribute to our kids’ anxiety.
First of all, it’s important to remember that anxiety is a part of our evolutionary heritage. Our ancestors lived in a dangerous world, and anxiety was a useful response to keep them safe. However, the world we live in today is vastly different from what our ancestors experienced. The same anxious response that helped our ancestors might not be as helpful in our modern world. So, there must be something else contributing to our children’s anxiety.
The number one contributor to anxiety is stress. Stress is a normal part of being human, and we all face it at some point in our lives. However, some unique stressors that we have control over are contributing to our children’s anxiety. To ensure we don’t perpetuate these stressors, it is critical to understand what is stressing our kids out in the first place.
In today’s episode, we’ll explore the most common stressors that are stressing our kids out. By understanding these stressors, we can help our children cope better and reduce their anxiety levels. So, stay tuned for an informative and insightful episode on the common stressors our children and teens face!
(One big hint for one of the biggest contributing factors: screens. Be sure to read more about how to manage screen time effectively!)
