Teen Stress and Anxiety - Zoom Busters Part 3

EXCITED ABOUT ZOOM BUSTERS

There’s a reason I’m so excited about the Zoom Busters my friend Kellye Abernathy is sharing with us. Here’s one story that explains why.

A VERY ROUGH YEAR

When my kids were 9 & 11, our family had a particularly rough year. It was one of those seasons in our family when everything that could go wrong, did.

Things started out with a bang in March of that year when my father-in-law took a nasty fall and was hospitalized. It went downhill from there.

By December, we had survived:

the death of my father-in-law, two very serious car accidents, a cardiac scare (me), appendicitis (my husband), and a slew of job-related stresses.

All things that kept us in a constant state of anxiety - which is why I’m sharing this particular story.

STRESS AND THE BODY

Whether we’re aware of it or not, our bodies carry the stress, worry, anxiety, and chaos of what is happening in our minds.

Case in point – that cardiac scare of mine.

It started (like all good stories) with a road trip. Six hours, in the driving rain. Four kids and one dog in the back seat. A mother-in-law in the passenger seat whacking my shoulder every time she was scared by the road conditions. By the end of it, my left arm and neck had been numb for the last hour of the trip.

Once we got home, I called my doctor’s office. Of course, the nurse told me to run, don't walk, to the hospital. Like a crazy person, I drove myself to the nearest ER (did I mention my husband was traveling for work?) They immediately whisked me into triage and started poking, prodding, and testing me.

After an overnight stay, we got the good news. It wasn't a cardiac event at all. It was purely stress and anxiety.

STRESS AND OUR TEENS

Right now, our world is going through a collective time of stress and anxiety – including our teens.

Whether they’re doing their learning virtually or face-to-face, our landscape has changed, drastically.

Not only does the coronavirus pose a real and present danger, but there is also the civil unrest gripping our country. Not to mention a contentious election that is at the forefront of the news cycle right now.

ANOTHER SOURCE OF ANXIETY

I’m not going to go into the complexities of all those things, because that’s not the point. The point is that our teens are absorbing all of this. In addition, they’re taking on developmentally appropriate stress. The kind that comes from not getting to see friends, participate in activities they love, or experience milestones they’ve long anticipated.

And that anxiety? It’s sitting on their shoulders, constricting their chests, and curling in the muscles of their limbs.

ZOOM BUSTERS FOR THE WIN

That’s why, for the past couple of weeks, my good friend Kellye Abernathy and I have been sharing the Zoom Busters that she created.

These stretching and breathing exercises help teens reset and refocus as they learn virtually, but their purpose goes deeper than that.

Using these Zoom Busters will create more body-mind awareness in your teens and help them identify where there is stress stored in their body.

When they can do that, they are empowered to use movement – like these exercises – to release that stress. Which makes for healthier teens. And healthier adults too – I’m throwing that in because these Zoom Busters can make a huge difference in your day too.

MEET OUR ZOOM BUSTERS CREATOR

Kellye Abernathy is a rock star of a human being, and I can’t wait for you to get to know her. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with over 500 hours of specialized training. She is also the very best example of a life-long learner that I’ve ever encountered. Her passion for brain research and exploring how humans connect with the natural world is beyond inspiring. I love how she brings everything that she’s learning to the table as she writes, teaches yoga, and comes alongside crisis survivors.

Be sure to head to the Referenced in this Episode section below to watch the videos of Kellye leading us through the Zoom Busters.

STRESS AND THE BENEFITS OF BREATHING

Before I close out I also want to share a couple of things I learned as I prepped for this series of episodes.

One, stress can manifest in the body in all kinds of ways.

That includes things like headaches, upset stomachs, and muscle aches and pains. In the Referenced in this Episode section below, I’ve included an article on some of the physical things your teens might be experiencing that could indicate they’re experiencing anxiety.

Two, there’s a lot of research that points to breathing exercises as an antidote to stress. 

Specifically, using a variety of breathing exercises is best. That means Kellye's Zoom Busters are extra-awesome because she walks us through a different kind in each set. I’ve included an article about that as well.

PLEASE REACH OUT

If anxiety in your teens is something you’re concerned about, nothing beats a trip to your family doctor or a counselor. Please reach out to your support system for help with this.