Anxiety in the new Millennium
My first career was in education, and for 22 years I loved being an elementary school counselor. I remember when I first got the job and would tell people what I did, many times I got the response: “Why do they need counselors in elementary schools?” I was always surprised that this was the mindset of so many of my acquaintances. They seemed to believe that the world we live in was the same as the one in which they grew up. Not so. In the late 00’s I began to see a stark rise in the number of students being referred to me because of stress and anxiety. Sometimes in students as young as 4 years old. I didn’t realize until several years later that this rising trend seemed to begin around the early 2000’s - not coincidentally after the infamous school shooting in Columbine, Colorado and the events of September 11, 2001. My experience is purely anecdotal, but I believe that these two events were pivotal in changing the landscape of my career, and more importantly, in the lives of children.
These were two of the first (though definitely NOT the first) horrific events that changed all of our lives. They changed the way we looked at ourselves, our culture, our teenagers, our fellow humans. It changed how we consumed news, and how we processed extremely difficult events. I believe that each time something horrific happens, we all experience a collective trauma. Especially when these things first began to happen on a regular basis, how were young parents to anticipate how they would affect their children? All of these things gave fuel to stress and anxiety, and began to manifest itself in small ways in our everyday lives.
So here we are. It’s the year 2023, and these traumatic events are sadly, part of our everyday lives. Anxiety is an undercurrent in our society’s culture today, and needs to be dealt with. Whether you suffer from severe anxiety, or deal with it on a smaller scale, we all need an outlet. We at Two Sage Sisters hope that you see our kits as a supplemental tool to help you navigate the intense feelings that come with today’s world.
For today, here’s an idea: Remember the game perfection? I used to play this game with kids with anxiety. Sounds counterproductive, right? It’s the most anxiety inspiring kids’ game I can think of! But it taught perseverance, tolerance for making mistakes, and trusting yourself. Nine times out of ten, kids would improve the second time around. It was exciting to see them understand that and then develop strategies for the next try. What a valuable way of showing kids: look, you are learning! It’s the same with life. Sometimes we have to start over, and the second time around we can improve on things we had a hard time with the first time. So pull out that old kids’ game, pick one up at a garage sale, or spend the $25 to grab a new one, and play the game. Let yourself feel the stress of the (loud!) timer, and the disappointment of not getting it right the first time. Then, pick up the pieces, and try again. We’re all here with you, trying, picking up the pieces, learning, and trying again.
Energetically yours,
