This weeks podcast episode is particularly relevant for me right now since my son has just turned 13. To be honest, he has been acting like a teenager for a while now. I was only just recently reminiscing that I couldn't remember the last time that he had held my hand - that became unacceptable long ago.
I have heard the saying that you are only as happy as your least happy child before and it really rings true for me. As parents our happiness is so closely tied into the happiness of our children. The teenage years bring their own unique challenges for both the child and the parent. Especially in our current circumstances. Anxiety and stress, social isolation, exam pressure all on top of a period of growth and maturing where the brain is basically re-wiring itself for adulthood. So I was keen to ask Viv how we can best support our teenagers.
Here are some key take-aways from our chat:
To help them to expand their comfort zone Keep it simple - look at simple tools for managing anxiety and stress - breath, awareness, relaxation (self regulation) Remember what it was like Remember that teenagers are fun Show them about self-care by taking care of ourselves as parents Support our teenagers to failIf you have a teenager who is suffering with anxiety or stress, you can head over to Viv's website to get in touch.
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And if you need some time out for yourself, you can get a copy of my FREE guided relaxation recording here
https://mailchi.mp/289c96d60b8e/happy-healthy-free-guided-relaxation
