Anxiety can feel like something to get rid of, but what if it’s actually your body trying to help? We sit down with Dr. Peter Montminy from A Mindful Village to unpack anxiety as a normal human emotion and a built-in alarm system. We sit down to talk about why anxiety shows up as anticipatory fear, and how that surge of adrenaline can be either useful or overwhelming depending on how we respond.

We also map anxiety on a continuum, from mild and motivating to intense and impairing. You’ll hear practical ways to tell when anxiety is helping you study, prepare, and stay safe, versus when it’s pushing you into avoidance and shrinking daily life. One of the most memorable tools is the “burnt toast vs five-alarm fire” reality check, a simple way to test whether your internal alarm is giving you a true warning or a false alarm.

For parents, educators, and caregivers, we dig into how to help kids with anxiety without trying to eliminate every uncomfortable feeling. We cover “name it to tame it,” common physical signs like racing heart and stomach tightness, and a two-step coping plan: relax the body, then refocus the mind. We also explain when it may be time to seek professional help for an anxiety disorder and where to start, including your pediatrician or school counselor.

If this conversation supports you, subscribe, share it with someone who cares for kids, and leave a review so more people can find these mental health and resilience tools.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 for immediate support.

This podcast is brought to you by Jana Marie Foundation and A Mindful Village.

Jana Marie Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in State College, Pennsylvania which harnesses the power of creative expression and dialogue to spark conversations build connections, and promote mental health and wellbeing among young people and their communities. Learn more at Jana Marie Foundation.

A Mindful Village is Dr. Peter Montminy's private consulting practice dedicated to improving the mental health of kids and their caregivers. Learn more at A Mindful Village | Holistic Mental Health Care for Kids.

Music created by Ken Baxter.

(c) 2025. Jana Marie Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

This podcast was developed in part under a grant number SM090046 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA, HHS or the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.