Have a Teen-Aged Grandkid? Better Read This…
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted January 11, 2018
Whether you’re a parent or grandparent, everyone has a teenager in their life they care about.
Which makes teenage anxiety a problem for everyone.
Teen mental health problems (especially anxiety and depression) have become an epidemic.
Suicides among teenaged girls doubled from 2007 to 2015 (teen boys increased by 30% over the same period).
And hospital admissions for suicidal teenagers have doubled over the last 10 years.
If you are a parent or a grandparent struggling to figure out how to help your teenagers, you are not alone: therapists and schools are struggling, too.
But there are some simple things you can try… starting today.
And they could make all the difference in the life of a teen you love.
We all faced some stress and anxiety during our teen years.
But school administrators and psychologists say something is different about teenagers today.
In part, their anxiety is due to modern means of communication. Certainly, smart phones play a part.
Teens are bombarded with urgent, anxiety-inducing messages throughout the day, from friends, parents, social media, etc.
Anxiety can also come from comparing yourself to others. In olden days, you only had people in your town to compare yourself to. Now try to be the best in something (math, spelling, skateboarding…) and you can find millions of people online better than you.
These are times of high social stress for kids.
So here’s what to do to support the teens you love (and if you suffer from anxiety, these steps will help you, too):
Dr. Scott’s Anxiety-Stomping Program:
- Exposure Therapy: This is my favorite method for dealing with anxiety. What we fear turns out to be not as bad as we think it will be. Exposure therapy is simply putting yourself in the situation that causes you anxiety. This works well for fear of snakes, flying, or talking in front of groups… but doesn’t work well if your teen suffers from anxiety over being bullied.
- Calming herbs: I’ve given sleep herbs like L-theanine to people who have anxiety and found that they work well (though, not for everyone). Take a half-dose in the morning and see how it works.
- Sleep: Anxiety and sleep go hand in hand. Most of us know we feel more anxious when we don’t sleep, but getting teenagers to sleep is a tough battle. Setting boundaries and supporting them with calming herbs can help.
- Exercise: It’s been proven that exercise reduces anxiety. Find something that works for your teens and that they enjoy. The more you can make exercise a game, the better.
Anxiety is a killer of our youth and leads to many bad diseases as we grow older. It is in all of our best interests to learn how to control and manage anxiety.
Health and Happiness,
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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