Exploring root causes of anxiety in children, including the impact of stressful environments and excessive screen time. Emphasizing the importance of emotional connection and creating a sense of safety for children through face-to-face interactions and limiting screen time.
The energetic environment children are growing up in, along with factors like COVID and increasing disconnection, contribute to high levels of anxiety among children.
Excessive screen time and limited face-to-face interactions hinder the development of the social engagement system in children, leading to anxiety and impaired emotional regulation.
Deep dives
Reasons for Children's Anxiety
One of the main reasons children are experiencing high levels of anxiety is due to the energetic environment they are growing up in. The world is becoming more anxious, exacerbated by factors like COVID and increasing disconnection between individuals. Additionally, children are born into a sensitive world with intense energy, leading to more emotional dysregulation and conditions like autism. Another reason is the decline in the development of the social engagement system, caused by excessive screen time and limited face-to-face interactions. The lack of emotional connection and empathy further contributes to anxiety and other mental health issues among children.
Effects of Screens and Immediate Gratification
The widespread use of screens among children is affecting their social engagement system development. Face-to-face contact and emotional nuances are crucial for the maturation of this system, allowing individuals to soothe themselves and others. However, constant exposure to screens hampers this development, leading to a decline in empathy and self-soothing abilities. Screens, with their constant stimulation and dopamine-inducing content, create a culture of immediate gratification, hindering the ability to be present and content. This addiction to screens affects concentration, fosters anxiety, and impairs the ability to deal with negative emotions.
Addressing Children's Anxiety
To combat children's anxiety, it is essential to limit screen time and focus on building emotional connections. Encouraging face-to-face interactions, making loving physical contact, and utilizing expressive speech can help nurture the social engagement system in children. By consistently showing children that they are seen, heard, loved, and protected, they can develop resilience and learn to handle negative emotions effectively. Bridging, or maintaining connections while apart, is also crucial to ensure children feel supported and connected to their loved ones. Through these strategies, we can create a more emotionally connected environment for our children and alleviate their anxiety.
In today's world, our children are facing anxiety levels like never before.
In this episode I dive deep into understanding the root causes of this surge and explore compassionate ways to support and empower our young ones.
Thank you for listening and you can find me on IG: @theanxietymd if you have any questions.
PS. If you would like to join the MBRX family of 1400+ anxiety WARRIORS who are shifting from coping with their anxiety to actually HEALING it, click the link below: