Whether your children are grown or brand new, parenting alone is hard. Add in an unprecedented pandemic, and it can feel nearly impossible and quite overwhelming. However, family therapist Jennifer Kolari teaches us how to build strength in our relationships through connection, even in times of uncertainty.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host, Dhru talks to Jennifer Kolari, a Child and Family Therapist and one of the nation’s leading parenting experts. She is the founder of Connected Parenting and the author of Connected Parenting: How To Raise A Great Kid and You’re Ruining My Life! (But Not Really) Surviving the Teenage Years with Connected Parenting.

In this episode, Dhru and Jennifer discuss the rise in childhood anxiety, especially during times of global crises, and what parents can do to help “CALM” their children. They talk about how some types of anxiety can actually be beneficial and what to do when anxiety becomes problematic. Jennifer tells us about the difference between living in fear and living in love and what we can do to be aligned with love. She gives us practical tips to help calm, comfort, and connect with our children, loved ones, friends, and partners. 

In this episode, we dive into:

-Why anxiety is increasing in children (4:22)

-How we parent differently these days (7:40)

-How essential play is to child development (10:10)

-Anxiety is actually a good thing (14:46)

-How to tell the difference between useful anxiety and useless anxiety (17:10)

-What are things parents can do to help our child through anxiety (19:57)

-More about connected parenting (25:25) 

-How to parent kids in today's world with increased knowledge and technology (28:20)  

-How to approach parenting a child with anxiety or other issues using the CALM technique (30:43)

-Teaching love versus fear (42:41)

-How school systems contribute to anxiety (49:41)

-What to do when caregivers have different parenting styles (54:37)

-How to navigate bullying (1:00:35)

-Delving deeper into love and fear (1:06:18)

-How to use the CALM technique on yourself (1:17:12)

-More techniques to help calm anxiety (1:21:10)

-The role medications could play in mental health (1:31:04)

-Other resources on anxiety (1:35:35)

-Questions from Dhru's nephew Jaimin (1:37:10)

-What's important to remember if you or your kids have anxiety (1:41:17)

-Additional resources and how to learn more about Jennifer (1:44:30)

-How Jennifer re-created her village when her family made a big move (1:47:00)

For more on Jennifer, you can find Jennifer’s books right here: Connected Parenting: How To Raise A Great Kid and You’re Ruining My Life! (But Not Really) Surviving the Teenage Years with Connected Parenting, and be sure to check out her podcast, Connected Parenting with Jennifer Kolari, right here. You can learn more about Emotional Freedom Technique (tapping) in this podcast.

Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by our partnership with the AquaTru Water Filter. To get exclusive access to this deal visit www.brokenbrain.com/filter

Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your join request here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit

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