TACKLING ANXIETY

CHAMP’S GUIDE TO PARENTS:

ONE of the greatest challenges in history is the current pandemic that we are facing.

The impact of the pandemic on the world is astronomical.

For a period of time there was brief curiosity surrounding the impact of the virus before the influence and spread became real in Australia.

However, the challenges surrounding the uncertainty or how to cope in the current instability is increasing anxiety and adding further complexity.

The impact of the virus on parts of life such as employment, economy, mental health and sense of self is currently on the precipice.

For adults, finance, job security, relationships, safety and certainty contributes to a stable sense of self.

For teenagers and children, sport and performance, schooling grades, relationships and peer popularity contribute to a stable sense of self.

For teenagers, the nature and drive for reward and praise from achievement and succeeding is soon to hit a wall due to lockdowns and unique challenges.

Therefore, challenging their own sense of self-esteem will come to the forefront.

With the new-found time of no longer having their main coping strategies of sport, performance and theatre, music etc will be a challenge that can impact on their wellbeing. What is left is time. Tolerating boredom and frustration is a key skill that can impact their wellbeing.

How they choose to spend their time will impact their wellbeing.

How you, as a parent chose to engage with their spare time and your teenager will impact their wellbeing.

What you and your teenager do together now will impact their motivation to bounce back to what they loved with ease when the time comes.

A few tips to help in these times of uncertainty:

■ Talk through with your teenager/child about the circumstances being out of their control.

■ Share your compassion, guidance and support.

■ Create strategies and routines that targets fun, physical exercise, confidence, support and family time.

■ Allow family members to have their own time and to switch off from social media.

■ Discuss if they would like to talk with a mental health professional.

■ Understand and discuss about controlling the “controllables” and let go of the things you are unable to control.

Implementing these strategies can be influential to assisting your family through these difficult times.

Take a moment for yourself to remember the last time you said: “If only I had more time.”

This is a circumstance where it could open up different possibilities that may have never opened previously.

However, for the teenagers, sport is a significant and an effective coping strategy and for many it has now been taken away for an indefinite period.

But what is more effective is compassion, kindness, and understanding in these difficult times.

For young athletes, sit them down and discuss their dreams, their goals and their aspirations.

Discuss how they can do things in their own time, with their own body weight to help build strength and muscle control. Use the time to chart how they can do this in the time they have at home.

Research, challenge oneself and achieve new goals in a new time.

Over the coming weeks, the Gold Coast Academy of Sport will show you ways to build this body strength at home with little or no equipment. Take up the challenge.

I dare you.