Anxiety in Teens - a Primer — Hey, Sigmund
Karen Young offers another extremely helpful piece on anxiety—this one to help teens understand that anxiety can happen to anyone, and it's a matter of brain science. She's a big believer in explaining the science to kids, and her simple descriptions are easy to understand.
"The amygdala acts on impulse. It’s a do-er, not a thinker – all action and not a lot of thought. It just wants to keep you safe, because safe is a lovely thing to be and because that’s been its job since the beginning of humans. The amygdala can’t always tell the difference between something that might hurt you (like a baseball coming at your head) and something that won’t (like walking into a party) – and it doesn’t care. All it wants to do is keep you safe.
"When there’s nothing to flee or nothing to fight, there’s nothing to burn the neurochemical fuel that is surging through you. The fuel builds up and that’s why anxiety feels the way it does."
She also offers tips to manage the worries: Breath work, mindfulness, diet, and understanding the issue.
If you have a teen who may have anxiety, this article may help soothe some concerns.
