In today’s episode, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Tonya Crombie to the podcast. Tonya is an author, a certified life coach, and a parent of two teenagers. Her experience both professionally and personally has equipped her with valuable insight into helping young people manage anxiety and successfully transition to adulthood. During our conversation, we talk about the emotional rollercoaster that we’ve all been on during the past 18 months, why being transparent about our own anxiety can be a huge help to our teens, and why we need to put on our own metaphorical oxygen mask first. Be sure to listen through to the end as Tonya shares why it’s so important for us to befriend our anxiety. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their life, so this episode is filled with valuable advice and strategies no matter who you are.
About Dr. Tonya Crombie
Dr. Tonya Crombie is the best-selling author of Stop Worrying About Your Anxious Child and Stop Worrying About Your Anxious Teenager. Tonya is a certified life coach who likes nothing more than teaching adults how to help children overcome struggles with stress and anxiety. Tonya has a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and an MBA. However, in addition to being someone with letters behind her name, Tonya is the mom of two teenagers who have had their own struggles with stress, overwhelm, and anxiety. All of her work as a coach, speaker, writer, and facilitator is informed by her experience as a parent of anxious children and is driven by her desire to help young people thrive in the high-pressure, stressful world in which we live. Her work has been featured in The Invisible Illness, P.S. I Love You, Be Unique, and Candour. You can find her on FaceBook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. Tonya lives just outside of New Orleans with her amazing husband, two awesome teenagers, two incredibly barky dogs, and one very feisty kitten.
Episode Highlights
- The emotional rollercoaster of the past 18 months
- Anxiety and our brains
- When teens don’t want to return to school
- Put on your own “oxygen mask” first
- Be transparent about your own anxiety
- 30% of the population has struggled with an anxiety disorder
- Be stealthy about giving your teens solutions for helping with their anxiety
- Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) can help to calm before sleep
- We need to befriend our anxiety
- “Right here. Right now. I am ok.”
- Our job as parents is to relinquish control over time
Resources
Stop Worrying About Your Anxious Child by Dr. Tonya Crombie
Stop Worrying About Your Anxious Teenager by Dr. Toyna Crombie
Follow Tonya on Facebook