NextGen Psychology

Parenting with Patience, Mental Health, & New Seasons of Life

• Bria Wannamaker, RP. • Season 4 • Episode 166

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What do kids and teens truly need to thrive emotionally in today's fast-paced world? Join us in the inaugural episode of NextGen Psychology, where we explore this critical question and much more. Drawing from my experience as a psychotherapist, we'll dissect the unique challenges faced by our youth, from technology dependence to navigating the complex landscape of anxiety and trauma. This episode marks a significant shift from my previous podcasts, Better Bodies and Better Boundaries, as we zero in on the mental health of young people and provide invaluable psychoeducation for parents.

Reflecting on the evolution of my podcasting journey, I delve into the most impactful episodes from Better Bodies and Better Boundaries. Discover the profound insights shared by author Tabitha Farrar on rewiring the brain for those grappling with eating disorders, and revisit our most popular discussions on handling passive-aggressive family dynamics and relationship triggers. All these episodes remain accessible in the show notes for those eager to explore further. As we embark on this new phase with NextGen Psychology, my mission is to bridge the communication gap between parents and their children, fostering a supportive environment where they can flourish emotionally.

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Bria Wannamaker, RP.
@briawannamakerpsychotherapy
www.briawannamakerpsychotherapy.com

As always, please remember that these podcast episodes are for educational purposes only and are not a substitute for medical healthcare or mental healthcare. Podcasts are available as an educational and entertainment resource and are not advice, recommendations, or suggestions. Please seek out the necessary professional services if you require assistance.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome back to the podcast. It has been so long since I've recorded a podcast. We are in a new season of life, a new season of the podcast and a shift too. So what was originally oh, let me walk you through this transition phase into this new season. Okay, so what was originally the Better Bodies podcast helping with myself and others to heal a relationship with food, fitness and body image transformed into the Better Boundaries podcast, where there were an astonishing amount of listeners.

Speaker 1:

Such an increase in listeners, even from gaining traction in the Better Bodies podcast, better Boundaries, is really fascinating, because that feedback right, that's feedback, that that's something that people feel like they struggle with is being able to be assertive in their lives. Struggle with is being able to be assertive in their lives. And now, going through growth in my personal and family life and growth and building a building season in my business, I'm really niching down into supporting kids and teens with their mental health, as well as providing psychoeducation for parents, and that's what this podcast is all about, because I sort of have the inside scoop, I have the understanding of a broad understanding, I guess I should say of what kids and teens are going through right now and what they're navigating and what they are really asking for and needing from their parents in order to be supportive toward their mental health. So I am happy to be that advocate for kids and teens who feel like they don't have the language skills to communicate what they need from their parents or, in terms of their mental health, don't feel like they know how to express their emotions. So I'm really excited to bring that clinical experience that I have as a psychotherapist and pair it with my love of research and philosophizing and thinking about all of these different concepts in mental health and what's really important in this world and how can we apply things to our life for a better collective well-being. So that's what this podcast is about. So this is the first episode of Next Gen Psychology and I'm saying farewell to the Better Bodies podcast, saying farewell to the Better Boundaries podcast those episodes are still available, so it shows that there are about, you know, 165 episodes of the podcast in total. But this is the first episode of Next Gen Psychology and I'm really excited. We're going to cover all kinds of different topics, you know just anxiety and worry and technology. I'm really passionate about technology and its use and our dependency on smartphones and all of that, as well as autism and trauma, and so all kinds of different topics are going to be covered on this podcast and I just wanted to give a shout out first. Last time I'll talk about the other podcasts.

Speaker 1:

But something that I noticed in reviewing the stats was that with the Better Bodies podcast, the most popular episode, the most listened to episode, was about how to rewire your brain for folks with an eating disorder or eating disordered behavior, how to rewire your brain and that was with an author, tabitha Ferrer. Her book is so incredible and I've linked the episode in the show notes. To go back, take a listen to that one. It's really powerful and it was one of the most popular ones for the Better Bodies podcast and then for the Better Boundaries podcast, there were two really popular episodes. So one was about navigating passive, aggressive family members and the other one was about dealing with relationship triggers and anger. So I've linked those in the show notes as well. In the show notes as well, if you want to go check out those episodes. Those are the top three most listened to episodes that I've recorded. And so, yeah, not that that might be relevant to you, like that, those topics might not necessarily be relevant to you, but I wanted to share that. You know, I just find it really interesting, if we look at things as a collective, that we kind of all struggle with, and the numbers speak for themselves. So, yeah, I find that really fascinating. So I wanted to share that with you and let you know that those are all in the archives there and the links, like I said, are in the show notes, so feel free to check that out. So for today, I just wanted to first introduce NextGen Psychology and leave you with a little bit of food for thought in terms of your mindset.

Speaker 1:

Mindset work is something that I'm really focused on lately, because there's so much importance in where we place our attention and if you are someone who feels overwhelmed often, or like you are sucked into negative thoughts or feelings of dread, you know, bogged down by external circumstances that are going on in your life. So I think I pretty much just described most people, everyone. If you're feeling like that's something that's really big for you right now, you're feeling like that's something that's really big for you right now, it might be important for you to place some weight on your mindset and notice that you have control over how much space external circumstances and things take up in your life. So every day, and multiple times a day, I'm trying to reground myself to feeling a sense of gratitude. So that's just involves involves taking a moment to pause and close my eyes, just breathe, connect with my body and just say thank you. And at times it's just I say thank you, and at times it involves listing off things that I am feeling grateful for blessings, gifts in my life, people, connections, anything really that you're feeling grateful for in that moment.

Speaker 1:

So step one I think switching our mindset to one that is grateful is an incredible tool and, in addition to that, really focusing on where you want your attention to be. You know we can run around and do a bazillion tasks, but something that I've been focusing on as well with my mindset. So that number one there's the gratitude, but number two is this idea of prioritizing and, instead of doing a bunch of things that are, you know, extra fluff for little tasks here and there, really being intentional about what is important for that day and then allowing myself to let go of other items on the to do list that aren't important, and what used to happen is I would just not get them done and it would be like, oh crap, like another, another day I have to do these things, but now it's no like I genuinely can let them go. So number one, switching your mindset to one that is grateful, by saying thank you and acknowledging your blessings and being appreciative. Number two, it is important to prioritize by being intentional about what your goals are for your life and taking daily action to support your goals.

Speaker 1:

And then a third piece with this is patience. That has been my biggest thing lately is coming down from rushing and just living a busy and just living a busy hustle, hustle, move here, move there lifestyle and being so accustomed to that. There are moments in the day where I'm noticing that my body is tense. I'm sitting on the edge of my chair, I'm ready to go. I have like my mindset that is fixed on okay, here's the plan, we're doing this and this and this and this, and that just doesn't work Overall. It especially doesn't work when you have kids.

Speaker 1:

Things change, you might be needed elsewhere, elsewhere, and so this part of really growing up and really becoming a present and available parent, a huge part of it is patience having patience with yourself and demonstrating patience when you're with your kids, and that can look like taking a deep breath, which you know that's I do tons just like re-centering, re-grounding, taking a deep breath, reminding myself that life is about the journey, not the destination. And you know, after spending 30 plus years focusing on only the end goal, the outcome, the destination, let me tell you it's a breath of fresh air to be able to acknowledge like, oh no, every day has beauty in it actually, and living moment by moment is supportive to my mental health, so that I can give to everyone around me, from a really grounded, strong and confident place, kind of prepping your mind, your mindset, in terms of feeling gratitude and a sense of appreciation, prioritizing and deciding where you want your attention to go by setting intentions toward your goals. And then the third piece being patience. Patience with yourself, regulating your emotions because we lead by example. That is, I think, one of the most important parts of parenting is that we are the example. Whatever you model, whether it's your language, your actions, your thoughts, that's exactly what your kids are going to do Exactly, and whether it's now or later, it's going to come out somehow. So, being really mindful of how you are and are you showing up as the person that you want to be? Are you showing up as your highest self? Is there a little bit more you can give? Is there a little bit more of the true you that you can show up as today, so that we can foster mental health and well-being in ourselves and give that to the next generation as we raise them and integrate them into this world?

Speaker 1:

So I'm really looking forward to this. I have, you know, some interviews lined up. We're going to talk about, like I had said before, autism, and I'll bring some people on the show who are professors and all that jazz. I really miss doing interviews. Actually, they're so much fun to get to sit down and chat with people who are experts at what they do and, yeah, just gain that knowledge and share it with you. I love doing that. So, looking forward to this new chapter. Okay, we'll chat soon. Bye, thanks for listening. Please rate and follow the show to help build community. See you next time.

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Bria Wannamaker

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