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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2019)
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tools for coping with anxiety in youth By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent Anxiety is a major part of life for many young people, including many in Sisters. A screening of the docu- mentary <Angst= on Monday, December 9, at Sisters Middle School was part of an out- reach to parents and commu- nity members by the Sisters School District. The focus in Angst, an IndieFlix Original, cen- ters on defining anxiety and exploring its impact on youth while also providing practical information on how to learn to cope with and live with this sometimes debilitating condition. According to its website, the producers of Angst state their goal <is to help people identify and understand the symptoms of anxiety and encourage them to reach out for help. The film and cor- responding materials provide tools, resources and above all, hope.= Many recent medical and mental-health studies indi- cate that anxiety levels among American youth are on the rise. While Angst does not grapple with the reasons for this change, it does help view- ers better understand both the prevalence and the reality of the condition. While some anxiety is nor- mal and natural for all human beings, some people experi- ence it at debilitating levels, and, as with many mental- health challenges, anxiety is often not only misunderstood, but dismissed by friends, fam- ily and even by the sufferer themselves. One person in the documentary put it this way: <Health issues above the shoulders are frequently misunderstood.= Anxiety can be experi- enced on a scale from mild to severe. At the severe end, anxiety and <panic attacks= are described by young people as being downright paralyz- ing and terrifying. Parents are often frightened by what their children are experiencing but don9t know how to respond. Many of the youth featured in the documentary expressed how confusing dealing with anxiety was for them and their parents before they found help. One of the classic symp- toms of anxiety is for the suf- ferer to begin to avoid those things that trigger overwhelm- ing stress. They may stop performing in music, play- ing sports or even coming to school. This avoidance only makes matters worse. One of the speakers in Angst said that if kids stop coming to school they get even more stressed because they know they are falling behind, making it vital for them to learn effective cop- ing strategies so they can stay involved where they are. According to the film, a common response to anxiety occurring in the school set- ting is for the student to want to call a parent and flee the school for the rest of the day or even longer. Though dif- ficult, a more effective and empowering response is to instead find a way to take a short break and employ some <reset= strategies in order to carry on. Sisters Middle School counselor Brook Jackson, who helped host the screening along with principal Alison Haney, explained that students throughout the middle school will view the documentary in order to help everyone bet- ter understand the issue. In that way, anxiety sufferers can learn they are not alone and that help is available. In addition, students and school staff can be better equipped to understand, and hopefully support, one another. <We have a commitment to weave social/emotional health and well-being into our daily lives here at the middle school,= he said. One of the key takeaways from the documentary is how important it is for students to find people who understand what they are experiencing. Students in the documen- tary said that prior to finding support they felt <weak= and were filled with self-doubt. Two of the young people in Angst developed other disor- ders such as tics and obses- sive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that were very notice- able to others, making it very socially difficult for them. Both eventually developed coping mechanisms that have helped. At the school level, school See ANXIETY on page 28 21 GIFT Cards & Certificates The gift that makes everyone’s dreams come true, with no returns! CHRISTMAS TREASURES brings you the most treasured ornaments and items for gift-giving and collecting. 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