“Scared is here to stay. Anxiety is part of life. It’s not our job to vanquish these feelings. It’s our job to develop the resources we need to march forward anyway.”

I saw this article from KQED earlier this week and it really struck a chord with me. It’s about how anxiety is on the rise among teenagers (which is not so good), but there’s techniques to deal with it (yay!) It’s a bit of a read, so I thought I’d do some quick-hits.

• Anxiety is normal and healthy.
• Changes lead to stress – even positive changes! And the teenage years are full of all sorts of changes.
• Anxiety + Stress ≠ Mental Health Issue. Of course, it might but don’t jump to that conclusion first.
• Meltdowns are a storm, not a wildfire. “You can’t stop a storm…You have to wait it out. But these storms do pass. The brain will reset itself. Don’t try to stop the storm or fix it in the moment.” 
• Practice makes perfect: “After weathering a few storms successfully, “teenagers get to discover that…the storm will pass…Either the problem completely evaporates and she moves on, or the girl can now look at the problem with clear eyes, assess it…, and figure out what she wants to do.”
• YOU are important. Teenage girls get their cues from adults – parents, teachers, coaches. “The most powerful force for good in a teenager’s life is a ‘caring, working relationship with at least one loving adult.'”
• Some magic words: “that really stinks.” A simple, no-nonsense way to show empathy.
• The brain needs recovery time. Stress is like a workout – it makes you stronger, but you can also get burned out. Help teens find ways to recover from stress.
• SLEEP IS SUPER IMPORTANT: It is the glue that holds human beings together.

I wish this article had been around to help my parents and coaches deal with the constant storms in my teenage years…because boy did I struggle! But my own struggles have made me more empathetic when I see a young woman dealing with her own problems. Helping her weather those emotional storms is tough, but so important and rewarding.