Category: Anxiety

A Letter From an Overwhelmed Child

Dear Parent, I feel overwhelmed. School is going to start soon and I need you to know what is happening inside of me. I am very excited because there is so much about to happen. I get to start over with a new teacher. I’m going to see friends that I have not seen all summer. Everyone will see me again, and I am excited for them to see how much I’ve grown and the image I’m making for myself. I Feel Overwhelmed With Feelings Even though it often feels good, this excitement can feel overwhelming. When these feelings get

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Understanding Teens: When is it more than normal mood swings

It’s normal for teens to be moody but when are the mood swings a sign of something more? Understanding teens is not impossible, we promise. Teenage Behaviors In the adolescent and teenage years, it is very common for young people to start pushing for more independence, engaging in more risky behavior, and challenging authority.  Essentially, the teen brain is wired to test limits and distance themselves from parents as they begin to individualize.  And while some do this in a “healthy” way, some teens seem to go to extremes.  Separateness Teenagers become irritable as they begin to develop an identity

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Over Perceiving Threat, Under Perceiving Safety 

I walked through the grocery store jumping around from side to side sure that something was about to happen. When I turned the corner, I put my arms up ready to fight, as an 80-year-old woman who was no threat turned the corner and almost collided with me. Having just returned home from Afghanistan it was understandable that I was on guard, but what I didn’t know then was WHY?  Why was I walking around as if someone or something was about to harm me? Another time, a friend made a comment that made me feel insecure and BAM! There

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Keep an Open Mind and Try Again- A Teen’s Experience with Therapy

I started therapy about a year and a half ago, when I was 16. When I came into therapy, I was very nervous and I didn’t know what to expect. I had discussed going to therapy several times with my parents. I had anxiety. I definitively decided to at the beginning of my junior year, after frequently leaving class and dreading school every day. I go to a small school. It is known for the difficulty of its academics and tight-knit community. Once I got into a friend group it was hard to expand who I talked to. However, my

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