Are Therapy and Mindfulness Making Some Kids More Anxious?

[Anonymous]

Interesting to consider the outcomes, esp with schools teaching many of these techniques.

I have personally found that being busy and connected works best for me and DC re: anxiety. Too much time focusing on thoughts can drive it in our home.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13387865/mindfulness-therapy-children-depressed-anxious.html

[Anonymous]

Therapy, and the resulting rumination, can often do more harm than good.

This is particularly so in tweens and teens.

[Anonymous]

In the NYT today, too:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/health/mental-health-schools.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Therapy, and the resulting rumination, can often do more harm than good.

This is particularly so in tweens and teens.

+1, children need to be kept busy. School, sports, activities, hobbies, church, etc. Not left to themselves and taught introspection. That accomplishes nothing except creating neurotic kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the NYT today, too:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/health/mental-health-schools.html

Thanks for the additional link. It appears that for many, additional rumination and an identity based on mental illness is very risky.

I'm trying to build resilience in my tween and teen but so much in the culture works against it, including their peer culture. Minimizing screens has helped a great deal.

Glad this research may act as a bit of a brake.

[Anonymous]

I think you have to go about it the right way. Sometimes I see people talking to kids using therapy-speak or examining feelings in a way that is clearly just making them hyper-aware of feelings and encouraging rumination.

But I do think there's a way to encourage emotional maturity by showing kids how to reflect on what my be driving feelings like anger, frustration, irritation, etc. Even just teaching kids to ask themselves "am I hungry? am I tired?" when they find themselves being short tempered. But no you do not have to have a 40 minute conversation with your kid every time they misbehave or someone hurts their feelings.

I'm a ruminator who got it from my mom and I definitely work NOT to pass it on to my kids. I keep a journal and occasionally go to therapy so that I'm not unloading feelings onto my family. I think if my kids see me being able to process and move past negative experiences fairly easily, it will help them learn those skills. The last thing I want is for my kids to develop my mom's penchant for turning everything into an anxiety-fueled nightmare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the NYT today, too:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/health/mental-health-schools.html

Does anyone happen to have a gift link? TIA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the NYT today, too:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/health/mental-health-schools.html

Does anyone happen to have a gift link? TIA.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/health/mental-health-schools.html?unlocked_article_code=1.p00.CD1Y.DX6eM_b0Cjhq&smid=url-share

[Anonymous]

ha I posted it here, without a paywall

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1203651.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Therapy, and the resulting rumination, can often do more harm than good.

This is particularly so in tweens and teens.

I think they do need a way to process feelings and bad things that happened to them. Otherwise, they get anxiety at night, when their mind is quiet. That's when everything hits.

But, I do agree that schools are overdoing it, and/or not doing it well. I posted this:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1203651.page

[Anonymous]

I absolutely think they're overdoing it.

My dd learned about "bucket filling" except all she got from it was that she needs her bucket filled and it's up to others to fill it. She constantly kept saying things to us like "it doesn't fill my bucket when I have to do chores." She misinterpreted so much. We had to talk about filling your own bucket and filling others buckets fills your too. You can't expect other people to fill your bucket.

It's just an example, there were so many other examples over the years. I really wish they'd teach resilience the most. Fix things yourself, you don't need others to be happy, moving past words that other people said because you know they aren't true or nice.

My kid was naturally anxious, so maybe they're the ones that get more anxious the more they learn. After learning about bullying, my dd was convinced everyone was "bullying" her when they didn't want to play.

[Anonymous]

I just watched a video recently that a mindfulness program in Baltimore schools helped kids and improved attendance.

Mindfulness is not the same as rumination. Introspection is not bad, in fact it's probably good. If you were in denial of your issues, then took a mindfulness class and became aware of anxiety and depression, that's the first step in solving the problem. You don't just conclude mindfulness is bad because you became aware of your feelings. Some people like to be busy and not be aware of any of their feelings. Some also like to drink alcohol to escape their feelings. Different strokes for different folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely think they're overdoing it.

My dd learned about "bucket filling" except all she got from it was that she needs her bucket filled and it's up to others to fill it. She constantly kept saying things to us like "it doesn't fill my bucket when I have to do chores." She misinterpreted so much. We had to talk about filling your own bucket and filling others buckets fills your too. You can't expect other people to fill your bucket.

It's just an example, there were so many other examples over the years. I really wish they'd teach resilience the most. Fix things yourself, you don't need others to be happy, moving past words that other people said because you know they aren't true or nice.

My kid was naturally anxious, so maybe they're the ones that get more anxious the more they learn. After learning about bullying, my dd was convinced everyone was "bullying" her when they didn't want to play.

agree, I stated something similar in another thread:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1203651.page

Instead of teaching resilience, they are teaching kids to become victims of "mental health" issues. Yes, those issues are real, but focus on the resilience and dealing with it, instead of the "woe is me".

My DC is in therapy, but I also talk to DC about building resilience, and not letting every single little bad emotion be a blocker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just watched a video recently that a mindfulness program in Baltimore schools helped kids and improved attendance.

Mindfulness is not the same as rumination. Introspection is not bad, in fact it's probably good. If you were in denial of your issues, then took a mindfulness class and became aware of anxiety and depression, that's the first step in solving the problem. You don't just conclude mindfulness is bad because you became aware of your feelings. Some people like to be busy and not be aware of any of their feelings. Some also like to drink alcohol to escape their feelings. Different strokes for different folks.

what is this program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just watched a video recently that a mindfulness program in Baltimore schools helped kids and improved attendance.

Mindfulness is not the same as rumination. Introspection is not bad, in fact it's probably good. If you were in denial of your issues, then took a mindfulness class and became aware of anxiety and depression, that's the first step in solving the problem. You don't just conclude mindfulness is bad because you became aware of your feelings. Some people like to be busy and not be aware of any of their feelings. Some also like to drink alcohol to escape their feelings. Different strokes for different folks.

what is this program?

https://www.mindful.org/raising-baltimore/