Anxiety and Depression in Teenagers: Give them coffee, is an interview that I did with special guest Anne Hayes. Anne suggests that you give your teen coffee to help them get through the day!
Anne Hayes, aka Mama G, is a speaker, an author, an inspirational rapper, and a single mom of two teens. She is the founder of KickA$$ Happyness, a global movement that seeks to empower teens to experience a more joyful and fulfilling life.
Kristina: Thank you for coming today, Anne.
anxiety and depression
Anne: Glad to be here. I am at the end of raising two teens. Finally, done with the rough 14-17-year-old period and what I found during the hard times is that I struggled with anxiety and depression. Both of my kids have struggled, and also many of the teens that I have worked with over the years have struggled with anxiety and depression. It’s sad because we just want to be happy.
Kristina: Teen anxiety and depression is such a huge problem right now. I know you want to talk about the potential benefit of coffee with teens. This is intriguing. Tell me more.
Anne: Ok, here is the deal. I had a different perspective before I was managing the challenges I had with my daughter. I was the parent that said, “My kids aren’t going to drink coffee.” I had developed a belief system due to my upbringing, where I thought that teenagers drinking coffee were unhealthy. That it could become addictive, it could be problematic. There were adverse side effects. If I had grown up in Latin America or Europe, I might have thought very differently. But specifically with my daughter, who suffers from both anxiety and depression- I can tell you right now that coffee because it has caffeine in it, is a natural nootropic. Nootropic is the big buzz word! We want mental clarity, we want to be able to focus, we want to be able to concentrate, we want to have energy, we want to enhance our mood, and guest what- Caffeine does all of that! Especially when you can enjoy the aroma of coffee, the taste, etc. there are a lot of different ways to enjoy coffee! My daughter used to drink a big Dunkin Donuts large cup a couple of times a day with crème and sugar! Of course, I was concerned, but I also realized that it was getting her through. It helped uplift her enough because she was struggling so much with the depression. I also work with a lot of teens that experience a lot of anxiety. They prefer NOT to drink coffee because they feel it makes them jittery. To that, I am not saying, “Drink it!” although I do think it has its benefits, maybe try decaffeinated options because the decaffeinated coffee still gives you the benefits of the nootropics. It has been scientifically proven. And by the way, my daughter never became addicted. As she healed and transformed, she began to rely less on coffee and doesn’t feel like she needs it every day. The bottom line is, coffee has these benefits! As a parent, if I am drinking coffee every day, and I enjoy the aroma and the experience, how am I going to turn around and tell my teen no! You understand, as The Impactful Parent, that when we try to control too much, it does not enhance our relationship with our children. We need to pick and choose our battles. It is my belief that coffee should not be one of those battles.
Kristina: I like how you confronted that some people won’t like this idea. They believe that the negatives outweigh the benefits. But I will also tell you from my own experience with a child struggling with anxiety and depression, that these parenting moments are scary. You will do anything to help your child get through the day. Your last worry is an addiction to coffee when there are so many other addictive agents out there that are much more harmful. I really appreciate that you bring on this new idea and it is so simple!
anxiety and depression
Thank you, Anne, for coming on to The Impactful Parent. For more information about Anne and to contact her, you can reach her at http://annehayes360.com
For more impactful parent tips, go to theimpactfulparent.com and to theimpactfulparent/youtube channel!
For more information on The Behavior Management Course offered by The Impactful Parent, please click here! This course can help your child if they are experiencing anxiety!