This month I am recommending Lisa Damour’s book Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls. Damour’s writing style is clear and confident, explaining in easy-to-understand writing why girls today are so stressed out, and what parents can do to support them.
The author does a great job of explaining how anxiety itself is not the enemy, and that when properly understood, it can be a useful tool. She coaches parents on how their reactions to their daughter’s anxiety can affect its intensity. Hint: trying to take away all her stress is not the answer!
The author discusses important factors that contribute to girls’ increased anxiety including peer interactions and social media use, pressure to perform at school, sexual harassment, and cultural pressures to be a good and beautiful girl. One of my favorite parts is how she explains the difficulties girls have in upholding the cultural expectations to be both nice and honest.
I can almost guarantee that reading this book will help you feel more competent in helping your daughter manage her stress and anxiety. Get reading soon! 