By Stacie Boyar, Licensed mental health counselor
When the world turned upside down in March of 2020 and everything was shutting down, many therapists began charting the unknown territory of therapy via telehealth. Engaging in therapy from the comfort of your own home became comforting and crucial for many individuals. It quickly became apparent that people who had never experienced anxiety before were now undoubtedly struggling. I soon decided to start a podcast, Namastacie, offering tips, techniques, and strategies to help people who were having difficulty combating anxiety and anxious thought patterns.
As the days, weeks, and months of the pandemic dragged on, talks of summer began. Much to my daughter Skylar’s delight, we learned that sleepaway camp was going to be open that summer. Each camper followed a strict protocol and had to remain exclusively with their bunkmates for the first two weeks. Camp proved to be a wonderful reprieve from the reality of a global pandemic. Engaging with peers, forming new friendships while nurturing others, and limited social media was the key to the mental well being for many children. However, countless others still experienced anxiety, depression, and confusion about what their futures might look like. Navigating the unknown while masked or confined to a small area created a scary scenario for many children. Engaging with teachers, family members, and friends on zoom proved to be draining and lonely. Although they may express it differently than adults, teens were certainly struggling with covid related anxiety too. During that first summer it was brought to my attention that the children in my daughters cabin were listening to and enjoying my podcast to help them relax, ease their anxiety, and alleviate their stress.
A year later as the pandemic dragged on, I learned that Skylar’s friends were still listening to the podcast. During a camp reunion, one friend shared that ‘it helps when I feel stressed’ and another said ‘it helps me fall asleep’. It was then that we decided to put the podcast into book format so we could share the information with others. We wanted to make the book inviting, interactive, and fun by including mindfulness quick tips, worksheets, and journal entries. We encourage the reader to write inside, skip chapters, highlight ideas, and include your own thoughts.
My hope is that one day deep breathing tips, mindfulness techniques, and meditation will be taught to children in schools as a way to ‘tame their bossy brains’. By utilizing each tried and true tip and thought-provoking exercise within this book it is possible to keep those negative thoughts away and replace them with accurate, positive, and helpful thought patterns.
The pandemic was a bizarre time for each and everyone one of us, yet we were so grateful that it gave us the time affluence to write and share this book with you. Its initial target audience was teens, but anyone struggling with anxiety can benefit from the tips described in the book. We hope you enjoy reading it and learn how to ‘tame your bossy brain’, reduce anxiety, and become your authentic, fabulous self!
The book can be purchased on Amazon. Please search “You’re Not The Boss of Me!”
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