Anxiety: The Good, The Bad, and The Awesome

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!

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. 

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. 

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. 

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."

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.