Flusterclux With Lynn Lyons: For Parents Who Worry

The phrase “emotional maturity” has been tossed around a lot recently. Maybe we know it when we experience it. But what does emotional maturity really look like? How do we help our children get there? In this episode, Lynn targets two vital skills that kids need to develop, and how parents can model them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have all heard the phrase 'Chemical Imbalance'. It can make depression and anxiety feel like lifelong afflictions that can be managed but never cured. THIS IS FALSE. In this episode, Lynn dispels the common misconceptions surrounding the permanence of mental illness, and why the language we use to describe them is vital to getting better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c...

Do you wish your child could hear about worry directly from Lynn? Here you go! In previous episodes Lynn has spoken directly to teens; this episode is for the youngsters. She describes how worry works, what makes it better and worse, and how to externalize and talk to worry. Listen with your child! [This episode originally aired on 4/12/24.] Here is the past show that Robin & Lynn reference in thi...

Tracking each other has never been easier or more commonplace. Many of us have a roster of friends whose locations we can see 24/7. But what may seem like a harmless convenience and safety measure is actually fueling loneliness, anxiety, and distrust. Lynn explains why we need to cut the cord on social tracking if we want happier, healthier relationships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit po...

A parent has been using the puzzle pieces to help her young son with his fears, but he still gets panicky and clingy when it’s time to head into activities. If he’s not willingly stepping into the worry, is it still working? Is the pattern still changing? What else can she do? WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES ON SPECIFIC TOPICS. Here is our first: For those brand new...

If you're in your 20s, you probably have roomates. But cohabitation is no easy thing. Cleaning, cooking, socializing, and even farting, are all done within a shared space. In this episode, Lynn walks us through those awkward conversations that help us all get along. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get ready, listeners, because Lynn, and the founder of GrowNOW ADHD, Michael McLeod, are about to take on the myths, traps and social media nonsense of ADHD, and there’s no holding back. What does the ADHD brain want more than anything? Why is your child better at school than at home? What’s the impact of tech education and all those Chromebooks? And what do parents need to do now? WE'VE MADE PLAY...

Boundaries are a therapy buzz word that seem to be everywhere. Odds are you or someone you know has put up a "boundary" in a relationship. But what exactly are they? And are they helpful or harmful? WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES ON SPECIFIC TOPICS. Here is our first: For those brand new to the podcast, we suggest starting with this playlist featuring Lynn Lyons an...

Need a little hope? Looking for inspiration? Lynn is joined by her client Devin who has gone from a highly anxious child with selective mutism to a socially anxious and depressed young adult (that’s when he and Lynn started working together) to a fully employed, mountain climbing guy who is now back in school pursuing a new career. This episode is about climbing mountains literally and figurativel...

Too often we send a text when we have something hard to say. Smart phones allow constant communication, but we are missing somehing vital when we forgo face-to-face interaction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robin and Lynn are joined by fellow anxiety therapist Robyn Isman, not to talk about anxiety, but about the grief over losing their moms. Listeners of the pod know that Robin’s mom died in 2010 and Lynn’s mom died in August 2025, following the death of her dad the previous June. Robyn’s mom died of metastatic breast cancer in November 2024. What’s it like to parent, work, and show up for others wh...

Each Tuesday, Lynn Lyons talks with her son, Brackett, about all the new challenges in life facing twenty-somethings. Today, we discuss how Artificial Intelligence is everywhere - including the mental health field. Lynn gives her thoughts on the increasing role AI is playing in therapy, treatment, and diagnosis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A listener is looking for help creating accommodations for a first grader. How can the adults help without reinforcing the fear through avoidance? The key is to focus on supporting with skills…and it requires a paradigm shift and collaboration. WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES ON SPECIFIC TOPICS. Here is our first: For those brand new to the podcast, we suggest start...

Have you ever looked around and seen people you went to school with earning a graduate degree? Climbing the career ladder at break-neck speed? On an incredible vacation around the globe? We all fall into the comparison trap. In this episode, Lynn walks us through why we compare so much, why it's especially unhelpful to do so in your twenties, and how to manage your brain when the comparisons becom...

In this re-cast of a not-to-be missed episode, Lynn and Robin talk to the expert Lynn values most, Dr. Michael Yapko. Dr. Yapko is one of the world’s foremost experts on depression, how it moves through families, and what parents need to do about prevention. He knows the research and shares it, busting myths and offering advice we guarantee you haven’t heard before. Dr. Yapko mentions Dr. Jean Twe...

Because your 20s are a mother. Welcome to the debut of Flusterclux Quarterlife! Each Tuesday, Lynn Lyons talks with her son, Brackett, about all the new challenges in life facing twenty-somethings. Today, we discuss how navigating the ins and outs of the medical world can be confusing, stressful, & overwhelming... and Lynn shares how to tackle the doctor's office without the guiding hand of a pare...

Humans have experienced the power of music throughout all of history. And research shows that its impact on our psychological state, memory and anxiety is real. Ed is a musician and he joins Lynn to talk about the impact of music and how to embrace it in your family. WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES ON SPECIFIC TOPICS. Here is our first: For those brand new to the po...

Following some love for Love on the Spectrum, we discuss a listener question from the mom of a 13 year-old who is worn out from her child's OCD and panic. Is it time to let the nervous system “cool off” and give her daughter a break from a challenging upcoming event? Here is the past episode discussed in today's show: Why Kids Should Not Be In Therapy Without Their Parents ... and check out Love o...

Today we re-cast an important episode about end-of-school-year emotions and all the big feelings. It’s graduation time. Robin is smack in the middle of this emotional time and Lynn has navigated it twice. So they’re both crying. ...and here's the Katrina Kenison piece that Lynn mentions: https://www.katrinakenison.com/2020/03/16/the-gift-of-an-ordinary-day/ WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO...

A listener wants her son to learn to swim after a previous bad experience at swimming lessons. Should she push him to go? How can she convince him to try again when he won’t even address the topic? While some activities are optional, knowing how to swim isn’t, so we dive into solutions. Past episodes discussed in today's Flusterclux episode: ARFID Is More Than Picky Eating: Lynn & Mindy Szelap Off...

Lynn often talks about the sizable “sweet spot of normal.” Our children will be sad, angry, confused and rejected and we can guide them through the ups and downs. Denial, however, prevents kids from learning how to get to the other side Denial shows them how to ignore rather than problem solve and engage in productive struggle. Past episodes discussed in today's Flusterclux episode: ARFID Is More...

A listener asks a question about being left out of her children’s therapy following the death of their father. The listener is baffled and so is Lynn, so she’s climbing back on her soap box to explain the benefits of working with parents and children together and how parents can seek out therapists that focus on building family/parenting skills. WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIN...

Being together and “hanging out” as a family does more than you might think. Doing it regularly, while reading or cooking or playing music and games, powerfully models connection and communication. Coregulation is how kids learn to manage their emotions and reactions from adults. Positive togetherness without devices matters. WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES ON SPECI...

In this recast of an important episode from Seasons 2, we tackle the toxicity of our current achievement culture. It’s so normalized, it’s now invisible to us. Lynn has a must hear answer for kids of any age. WE'VE MADE PLAYLISTS OF OUR EPISODES TO HELP YOU FIND RESOURCES ON SPECIFIC TOPICS. Here is our first: For those brand new to the podcast, we suggest starting with this playlist featuring Lyn...

A listener asked a common question: how do I help someone who’s having a “real” panic attack? In this episode, we talk about the different terms people use to describe anxiety symptoms (including panic) and the wonderfully consistent way to deal with them. Spoiler alert: we’re stepping in on purpose to retrain the brain. Here are the past Flusterclux episodes discussed by Lynn & Robin: Passing Out...