Dear Anxiety

Hello, Dear Anxiety fans! It's been a long time, but we're thrilled to announce that Ed and Renee are BACK. If you love Dear Anxiety, make sure you check out the all new Dear Anger podcast. Screaming and yelling, fighting and arguing, tantrums and hissy fits: anger finds its way into every home, classroom, and workplace. Ed and Renee are ready to talk about it, and their fans will find the same tools, research-based solutions, and laughs they learned to love in Dear Anxiety. Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts! Support the show

Kids don't often mask their emotions, and frustration is no exception. From throwing the puzzle across the room, to slamming school books closed, to sitting and pouting on the bench at the baseball game, kids (and some adults) are very comfortable showing us their low tolerance for frustration. So how do we help them through it? Ed and Renee have plenty of ideas about how we can boost our kids', and our own, willingness to push through difficult and frustrating tasks. Support the show

What does it mean to be authentic? Co-host Ed Crasnick concedes early on that he has no idea, and in doing so, proves that he himself is truly authentic. In this episode, Ed, together with Renee Jain, explore what it means to be authentic, to be genuinely comfortable with yourself and your abilities, and to be transparent and honest in our friendships and interactions. Support the show

From awkward conversations and embarrassing moments, to outright anxiety about where to stand or with whom to talk, succeeding at parties can be a challenge for everyone, and you know that Ed and Renee have never backed away from a healthy challenge! Packed with tools for starting and ending conversations, breaking into groups, and winning people over with your wit, this episode is your ultimate survival guide for parties, dances, and other social events. Support the show

Few campaigns rival the strength and popularity of anti-bullying efforts, and justifiably so. It's important to project our kids. But what if there was a different approach, or one of at least equal importance? "If we victim-proof kids, we bully-proof schools," says Brooks Gibbs, award winning resilience educator and author of Raise Them Strong. In this episode, Ed and Renee visit portions of a recent interview with Brooks, and talk through conflicts, apologies, emotional resilience, and "dealing with jerks." Support the show

By now you've likely heard about the value of growth mindsets, and if you've head about growth mindsets, you've likely heard about the importance of mistakes. "Teach your child to celebrate their mistakes, then watch them learn and flourish!" Hold on a sec... Ed and Renee are here to pump the breaks on that runaway mistake-party. First of all, not all mistakes are the same. Second, too much focus on the mistakes themselves is the opposite of helpful! Check out this awesome episode for a quick course correction on the value of our errors. Support the show

And, we're back! In this season 2 premier, Ed and Renee return to the root of the show, anxiety, with some strategies for identifying its good, its bad, and its awesome. If you're wondering what on earth could be good, let alone 'awesome,' about such a difficult emotion, you're just a click away from learning. Support the show

Time flies when you're recording podcasts! Amazing to think that it's been a year since we launched Dear Anxiety. Even more amazing to think about the dozens of topics we've covered, the hundreds of thousands of downloads, and the wealth of heartfelt ratings, reviews, and emails we've received. Thank you, listeners, for making it all possible! Ed and Renee conclude season one by reflecting on the show, and sharing a few quick thoughts about their mental preparation for the fast-approaching holiday season. Support the show

We all want to raise grateful kids: kids who say thank you at the dinner table, show appreciation for every convenience they have, and express gratitude for all the gifts they're given. But gratitude isn't just about the words we speak. It's about what happens in our bodies and minds when we truly reflect on all that's good in our lives. And what about our own gratitude? Ed and Renee are here with tools for helping everyone in your family grow their gratitude skills. Support the show

Were you popular in school? Part of the "in" crowd? Or did you always feel like you were on the outside looking in? And what about our kids? Do you see them struggling with the same pressures of popularity made even worse in a digital age? Everyone understands the pains associated with "popularity," whether you always felt excluded, or you were at the top of the social ladder trying to maintain a status that you didn't fully understand. Listen in as Ed and Renee share their own emotional experiences, break down what it means to be popular, explain how working to be popular might actually be a good thing, and offer tools to help kids navigate their emotions and find a place of belonging in any social structure. Support the show

"School is so boring." "I don't have anything to do." "This car ride takes too long!" "I'm. So. BORED!" Everyone has heard these protests from their kids, and there's something about their words that pressures us into action, as if they were facing some physical danger. But what exactly is boredom, and why do we feel the need to fix it so urgently? Should we be fixing it at all? What are the reasons kids get bored in the first place? Hear all these questions asked and answered on this stimulating episode of Dear Anxiety. Support the show

One of the hardest things about coping with anxiety is feeling the physical manifestations in our bodies. Blushing. Sweating. Racing hearts. Shortness of breath. Shaking hands. For some, the symptoms are annoying and embarrassing. For others, they're scary, even mimicking the symptoms of a heart attack! Plus, those symptoms themselves can make our worry worse; we get anxiety about our anxious experience! In this episode, Ed and Renee talk us through our physical reactions to anxiety, and no episode would be complete without plenty of tools to help us fight back. Support the show

Most adults know that they're supposed to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Despite that knowledge, many of us don't really come close hitting that target. And teens are even worse! When it comes to getting their recommended hours of sleep, 97% of them fall short. So, what is the real cost of sleep deprivation? How can we help our kids get the rest that's essential for their development, and how can we change our own sleep habits so that we can show up as our best selves? Ed and Renee have answers to all these questions on this weeks episode. Support the show

Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, and parenting with compassion is no exception. Really, caring and compassion can be flat out exhausting, so much so that there has been actual research into the issue of compassion fatigue. Ed and Renee know you're here because you ARE a compassionate parent, so they spend this episode exploring why caring is tiring, how we can make space for ourselves to rejuvenate, and they give us examples of how we can show up as our best, most loving selves, even when we feel we've got nothing left to give. Support the show

It would be hard to find a human who didn't want to be more confident, but despite the universal appeal, confidence means something a little different to everybody. Do you want more confidence on social situations? In relationships? Do you want to be more confident giving speeches? Or how about simply being more confidence in who you are as an authentic individual? Ed and Renee touch on all of these things while taking on confidence in this week's episode of Dear Anxiety. Support the show

"I love homework," said nobody ever. After a long day of sitting quietly, following directions, trying to focus, and being otherwise un-childlike, our kids are expected to come home, sit down, and do more of the same. Yuck! Additionally, many put pressure on themselves to perform and show up perfectly, so just the act of studying or being assessed is stressful. In this listener-requested episode, Ed and Renee take on homework by sharing tools for finding motivation and discovering the "why" of homework. Support the show

We loving getting your letters and messages, and we've dedicated this entire episode to reading and responding to our favorites. There are letters from parents with struggling children, encouraging success stories from listeners who are making positive changes, and new strategies and interventions for dealing with the mental wellness challenges we face every day. Support the show

Even if you're a person who experiences worry, even if you're all too familiar with the mental turmoil and physical pain of anxiety, most of us don't know how to help others who are dealing with similar challenges. Even worse, we find that anxiety in others starts to cause anxiety in ourselves. In this episode, Ed and Renee walk us through ways to calm and comfort our anxious family members and friends without escalating their experience or trying to match their emotions ourselves. Support the show

Maybe it's that time of year, when your kids are heading back to school, or maybe going for the first time. Maybe it's a first stay with a babysitter. Maybe it's a first sleepover. Whatever the case, it can be hard for a child to leave a parent. And really, just as hard for a parent to leave a child. At some point, we all experience some anxiety over being apart. It's a normal, biological response to separation from a protector or dependent. But we all need to endure those separations, and Ed and Renee are here with some tools for doing just that. Support the show

All the answers to your mental wellness challenges are right here in this very episode! Included is a simple set of instructions that will change your life: "You just have to look at the bright side and think more positively." Ugh, if only anything was that simple. In this episode, Ed and Renee talk through the complexities of three different types of mindsets: optimistic mindset, growth mindset, and stress mindset. You'll learn how they affect our behavior, and how they affect what happens inside our bodies. Support the show