WALKING ALONGSIDE YOUTH - AN ONLINE ANXIETY COURSE
Session 5
REDUCE
experiences that fuel anxiety
Reducing: Making a real and lasting difference
A key experience that fuels anxiety is stress. And there is no shortage of stressors in the lives of youth today, despite the general public having access to more information than ever about both the impacts of stress and the benefits of reducing stress.
Social media, peer interaction, school pressures, environmental crises, the news, and packed schedules and busy-ness all contribute to stress for everyone. For youth living in care and facing separation from their families of origin, these daily stressors put even more strain on their already overworked nervous systems. For Indigenous youth, colonization and intergenerational trauma also have significant impacts on mental health and well-being.
Ashley's Story
As you go thru the course, hear the firsthand perspective of Ashley, a former youth in care.
As a caregiver, what can you do?
As a caregiver or care provider, you can’t fix all the problems that the youth in your care is facing, nor can you travel back in time and change what has happened in the past. The future is unpredictable, and youth living in care have tasted this reality earlier in life than others. Their worry is real and should not be seen as a problem to be fixed.
So what can be done? What can you do to make a real and lasting difference for the youth in your care, regardless of how long they may be living under your roof? Reducing their stress, where you can, is an impactful way of helping youth who are experiencing anxiety.