Why Anxiety Might Increase During Adolescence, and What Parents Can Do
During adolescence the brain goes through a massive and magnificent redesign.This is to give children the neural firepower to make the transition from dependent little people to independent, productive, happy adults.It’s an exciting time, but it doesn’t always feel this way.Adolescence can be punctuated by entirely wonderful highs that come bundled in new discoveries and flourishing independence, as well as gut-wrenching lows.
Part of walking the path to adulthood means that our children might sometimes feel as though they are falling through the cracks of the smaller, safer, more predictable world they have known as children, and the bigger, more demanding, noisier world of adulthood.Until they have both feet firmly on adult ground – which will be sometime in their early 20s – the ground beneath them might feel shaky, or barely there some days.
A great article that really covers all the bases when dealing with teen anxiety. One piece I would like to add though. Anxiety is uncomfortable and at times can be mystery to many young people. All they know is that they have a knot in the middle of their stomach during certain situations. This can lend itself to the possibility of self medicating with opioids or other illegal drugs. Keep your antennas up for any behavior that could indicate substance abuse or addiction. These would include, behaviors such as irresponsibility, crankiness, disrespect, lying, moodiness, stealing, and a change in friendships or a disinterest in activities that were in the past something that was enjoyable for them; to name a few. My recommendation: Pay Attention! Don’t fall into the trap of denial.
Last week the New York Post reported on the suicide of a 13-year-old Staten Island boy who had been relentlessly bullied at his Catholic school. Danny Fitzgerald’s parents posted his sad and touching letter on Facebook.It’s another example of why bullying is not good for children — or for anyone.
What’s more, the deleterious effects are no longer confined to the playground. They continue long after students close the schoolyard gate, several studies say. It turns out that not only do people being bullied suffer long-term emotional problems, but so do the bullies.
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Feb. 20, 2013, and was updated by Roberta Alexander on August 16, 2016.
In the final analysis the victim suffers from the scars of bullying. The bully suffers from guilt of knowing how much pain he inflicted on others. You can’t turn back the clock but you can seek out the people that were bullied in a heartfelt way through social media venues and speak with them to ask for forgiveness. This is not easy, it’s hard. According to the research health problems arise because of guilt and bitterness from either being a bully or a victim. Bringing these two parties together later in life can make a difference in terms of their health and longevity. From a practical standpoint bullies need to held accountable at an early age and victims need to be strengthened to feel more capable and connected.
Bullying can be a serious problem for any child, but for children with a medical challenge such as epilepsy, the risk is increased. Knowing the facts about bullying is the first step toward preventing victimization of children and teens with epilepsy or other medical conditions, and keeping them safe.
What exactly is bullying, and how does it affect the children involved? Bullying consists of aggressive behaviors that are repeated over time and involve an abuse of power by the perpetrator. It may take the form of verbal or physical abuse, or, especially for girls, cyberbullying through social media. The child who bullies learns how to use power and aggression to control and distress another, and the child who is victimized learns about losing power and becoming trapped in an abusive relationship. The lessons for both parties are clearly destructive. Contrary to what some people may think, bullying is not a normal part of healthy adolescent development and the suffering it causes may start early and last a lifetime.
Parents who are angry and irate can wreak havoc in a school and can be intimidating. Learn how to defuse power struggles and maintain your dignity, and the dignity of the parent as you handle planned and unplanned parent /teacher conferences.This is a 5 hour self study course. The participants may be eligible for 5 hours of professional development credit.