Thrilled to be bringing you Karen Young today. We met online a few years ago when she was part of my very first Be the Best Parent You Can Be interview series. She runs the very informative website, Hey Sigmund: Where the Science of Psychology Meets the Art of Being Human.
What we Talked About
- Her journey as a psychologist and what brought her to do the work she does today.
- How psychology has evolved due to the fact we can now see what is going on in the brain.
- Here upbringing and how she wished there had been a bit more connection.
- Defining anxiety and how we can help our children through it.
- The difference between fear and anxiety.
- How critical it is to do work on ourselves to be brave for our little humans.
- How extended goodbyes actually increase the level of anxiety in young children.
- She shared the ideal bedtime routine for anxious children.
- How only 10 to 15 minutes of true connection daily can make a huge difference in your child’s level of calmness.
Things to Remember
"Will my response expand their world or diminish it? Will my response build their brave or shrink it?" -Karen Young
"Anxiety has an important job to do. Anxiety can be an offer to be brave." -Karen Young
Recommended Resources
Links to books, blog posts, and other resources mentioned in the episode.
- Website: Hey Sigmund
- Book: Hey Warrior
- Book : Hey Awesome
Over to You
Now, Karen and I want to know from you!
Do you have a child that may have anxiety? Or perhaps there’s a particular event that is triggering for them, such as school drop off? If so, which of the tips Karen offered will help you be brave? Once you try it, come back and share how it went.
Let us know in the comments below.
More About my Guest
Karen has worked as a psychologist in private practice and in educational and organisationalsettings. She has lectured and has extensive experience in the facilitation of personal growth groups. Her Honours degree in Psychology and Masters in Gestalt Therapy have come in handy at times.
Karen founded the popular website, Hey Sigmund, after realising the power of solid information. The website attracts millions of readers each year worldwide. Her articles have been translated into a number of languages and her work has been published on various international sites including The Good Men Project, The Huffington Post, The Mighty, and Yahoo Health.
Karen is a regular contributor to Parenting Magazine in New Zealand. She can often be heard on Australian radio, and is and a sought-after speaker. Recently, she published ‘Hey Warrior’, a book for kids to help them understand anxiety and find their ‘brave’. The book has now been translated into a number of languages.
Karen has two children and two stepchildren and lives in Australia. Experience has taught her that people can do amazing things with the right information, psychology has something for everyone, jargon doesn’t, everyone has a story to tell, short bios are the longest to write, nobody has it all figured out and the best people to be around are the ones who already know this.
Show Sponsor
This episode of The Art of Parenting is sponsored by The Parenting School. Click here to learn more.
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