Many of today’s children are anxious, overwhelmed and depressed. The phone-addicted GenZ is particularly vulnerable to the negative impact of social media. The ubiquitous me-machine replaces authority figures with random teachings. Where’s the moral compass online? What happened to playing or being outside?
How to help your children? How to cope?
Long-term strategies will help reverse adolescent anxiety. (see end of this article) Along the way, homeopathy can effectively address physical and emotional symptoms. It’s gentle enough for young children and sensitive teens – there are no side-effects.
Effective Remedies that Reduce Anxiety in Children and Adults
For severe shock or fear when reactions can be hysterical – unpredictable, jittery crying or laughing – look at Ignatia. There’s often a feeling of tightness in the chest and a tendency to sigh.
If there’s a history of abuse and a sense of violation, Staphysagria is the first remedy to think of. Anger and resentment are suppressed which gives rise to physical ailments.
When a child shows intense emotions or whips between tears and laughter, he may need Coffea. Over-excitement and hyperawareness of sensory stimulation are common; thoughts wheel in an overactive mind; he cannot sleep.
When your teen panics at the thought of a public speaking engagement, she may need Gelsemium. Weakness and dizziness and a desire to lay down and be alone are typical. She may feel sleepy and have trouble her keeping eyes open. Arms and legs may ache. Concentration is almost impossible. Diarrhea from stress
Your son is panicked and agitated; Arg nit may calm him. There’s a sense of hurry, a rigidity, often an impulsivity. He may be uncomfortable on high bridges and does not trust himself to stay safe.
When panic and shock are key signs of distress, Aconite may resolve the emotional fears. It addresses an overly strong reaction to a stressful situation – he feels he may die.
When a physical injury occurs, Arnica is the first remedy to consider. She insists she’s fine. Arnica will dissipate the shock and speed healing of bruises.
When a patient withdraws, exhibits an apathy, cannot concentrate, has lost appetite and is weak overall, consider Phosphoric acid.
A raging violent behavior may indicate the need for Stramonium. He is frightened of the dark. Children who wake terrified in the middle of the night and cannot be soothed benefit from Stramonium. They may have experienced or witnessed violence.
A restless person who over-worries or overthinks things may need Arsenicum. She may be preoccupied by a loved one, money matters or her heath. She is nervous and fidgety. Digestion and breathing are adversely affected.
*In his insightful book, The Anxious Generation (2024), social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains why children’s mental health is deteriorating today and offers guidance.
‘We are “overprotecting children in the real world and underprotecting them online.” They lack “a play-based childhood in the real world”’. Smart phones and frightened parenting create and reinforce this, he argues.
In general, today’s children spend 50% less time face-to-face time than they did prior to 2012. They’re socially-deprived.
Children are often depressed through lack of sleep – they engage less readily in studies, earn lower grades, become anxious and irritable. Smartphones deprive them of this needed sleep.
They are interrupted again and again by their phones which leads to a decreased attention span.
They have become addicted to their phones, seeking another ‘hit’ which big tech often provides. Parents may have instigated this by using the phone as a babysitter.
Children may not spend enough time in nature, which offers invaluable wisdom and lessons.
They need freedom to try and learn from mistakes.
Haidt’s proposed solutions:
No smart phone before high school
No social media before age 16
Much more unsupervised play and independence
As the parent, you, too, may spend excessive time on social media and your phone. You may be overloaded with more information than you need and time poor. A glance at the news headlines can exacerbate the stress. The above remedies will support you and may eliminate your symptoms over time.
