9 Steps to Helping your Anxious or Stressed Kid

How songwriting can help your teenager

Establish a safe space
When working with your teenager, it is important to establish a safe space where they are comfortable and feel free of judgment. Make some ground rules so that each person knows that they will be respected and honored as they share and communicate
Establish a safe space
Lead by example
As you work through connecting and communicating with your teenager, lead by example and be vulnerable with them. The best way for them to feel safe to share is by you sharing with them.
Lead by example
Meditation, box breathing and clarity
Reducing overwhelm can be difficult, but there are some really effective tools to help gain clarity: guided meditation and box breathing are both great tools to give your teenager the space to gather their thoughts.
Meditation, box breathing and clarity
Word Vomit
Another great way to overcome overwhelm is by writing it out on paper. Set a time for five minutes, and have each of you write out anything and everything that comes to mind.
Word Vomit
Identify and put together the puzzle pieces
Once you’ve written down your word vomit, start to identify the common trends and themes within your thoughts. This is a great way to recognize that our overwhelm is actually less overwhelming than we realize
Identify and put together the puzzle pieces
Digging Deeper under the Surface
Now that we’ve identified the trends in our thoughts, it’s a great time to dig deeper. What is fueling our thoughts? What’s specifically triggering our thought patterns? Here’s the clincher: if our thoughts were a person, what would we say to them?
Digging Deeper under the Surface
Alchemy - turning the dirt into fertilizer
Remember the saying: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure? How can we turn our perceived trash into our own treasure? There’s a silver lining to every negative experience and emotion. How can we recognize those blessings?
Alchemy - turning the dirt into fertilizer
Paint a picture - show me, don’t tell me
Changing our perspective in how we view the world can be powerful. Let’s take it one step further by showing these blessings - picturing ourselves in those states of positivity, fulfillment and happiness. Don’t simply say “I’m happy now”, but describe what that happiness looks and feels like.
Paint a picture - show me, don’t tell me
Breaking the Habits
So often we get caught up in the same approaches to our problems. Break the habit - how else can you approach an issue, topic or emotion? Brainstorm around more of the phrases and buzzwords in your previous word vomit exercise.
Breaking the Habits
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