weThrive Parent Wellbeing Resource: Healthy and Unhealthy Anxiety
A top tip from my holiday reads is American psychologist Lisa Damour’s book Under Pressure:Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls.
While acknowledging the pressures faced by girls, Damour explains the difference between healthy and unhealthy anxiety. She explains that anxiety and stress can be normal healthy functions when humans operate at the edge of their capacities and are being stretched beyond their comfort zones.
Damour suggests that some stress at school is normal as students should be growing and learning. She also explains that feeling anxious can be a mechanism to keep us safe and that it is important to teach these benefits to young people. Once stress and anxiety interfere with daily life, however, Damour offers practical suggestions to support teenage girls.
The book follows Damour’s popular book Untangled – Guiding Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood. Both books offer very practical advice for parents of teenage girls. You might want to view some of Damour’s brief video tips and articles here. She also shares some valuable insights into the ‘middle years’, describing the top ten ‘What to Expect’ as tweens and teens naturally seek independence and navigate school, and friendships, and learn how to manage emotions.
Damour offers explanations for typical teenage behaviours and examples of tempting, but unhelpful, parent responses, followed by suggested reactions and responses.
- Bedrooms turned hideouts
- Surgically-attached phones
- Difficulty sleeping
- Emotions on steroids
- Eleventh-hour homework crises
- Frenemies
- Academic disappointment
- Complaining about school
- Crushes
- A dazzling mind
Of note, Damour examines how as they move to the teen years, girls “graduate from concrete to abstract reasoning capacities” and are able to “consider theoretical concepts, reflect on their own thoughts, and draw inferences about other people’s motivations.”
The weThrive:Wellbeing@St Catherine’s program addresses this important change through mapping the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical journeys of girls in these crucial years. The Academic Advisory program offers opportunities to address the intersection between personal and academic growth. Some of the Heads of Year will be attending a webinar by Lisa Damour to gain further insights into her research.
There are preventative measures parents can implement as well as teaching children and teens the skills to cope more efficiently with their anxiety.
We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in our weThrive Parent Wellbeing Platform, and welcome your feedback on the resources being provided. If you have any concerns about your child, please contact our School Psychologist for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Click here for the link to the Anxiety edition with the Wellbeing Platform, which provides a range of parent resources and professional advice.
