In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Tell Me It Will Be Okay Podcast shares its platform with Cynthia Coffel’s Teen Anxiety Maze for an episode titled “Overcoming Avoidance: Choose Your Path to Success,” inspired by Lynn Lyons’ book Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents. Cynthia explains how avoidance temporarily relieves discomfort but reinforces anxiety over time, showing up in everyday procrastination and in teens avoiding school, friends, parties, driving, or homework. She encourages parents and teens to identify meaningful goals, reframe “I have to” into “I choose to,” and use mindset shifts to make difficult tasks more tolerable. Cynthia emphasizes supporting kids through manageable discomfort (not panic), role modeling persistence, and preparing teens for adulthood by practicing doing hard things, and invites listeners to work with her through coaching and an “anxiety audit” call.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:26 Meet Teen Anxiety Maze

02:03 Book Series and Coaching Offer

04:27 Why We Avoid Tasks

08:00 Avoidance in Anxious Kids

10:13 Find Goals and Motivation

14:55 School Refusal Mindset Shift

17:33 Choose Versus Have To

20:40 Parenting for Discomfort Skills

26:51 Goal Formula and Role Modeling

29:59 Wrap Up and How to Connect

You can learn more about connect with Cynthia by heading to her website, BetterRegulateThanNever.com and by following her on instagram @cynthiacoufalcoaching

Mentioned in this episode:

Tell Me It Will Be OK: The Practice

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