(https://news.gallup.com/poll/510398/school-parent-safety-concerns-remain-high.aspx)
Widespread campus shootings and fears
On the last day of homecoming week(10th November) at Tuskegee University, a man named Jacquez Myrick stormed the campus with a machine gun and killed 18-year-old La'Tavion Johnson. More than 16 people were wounded. This shooting comes on the heels of multiple shootings at various universities during their October series of back-to-school events.
(https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/video/1-killed-16-injured-gunfire-erupts-tuskegee-university-115725622)
According to the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, there have been 2069 school shootings in the United States since 1970. The Washington Post also maintained a database, which indicates that more than 300,000 students have been exposed to school-based gun violence since the 1999 Columbine shooting.
So it makes sense that many parents can relate to this scene, and are likely imagining this and other terrifying scenarios pertaining to their teenagers’ safety at school. A poll by Gallup found that 35 percent of parents fear for their teenager’s safety on campus, up from 24 percent in 2017, and 20 percent of parents noted that their teenager has expressed fears as well. School shootings, along with bullying, physical and/or sexual harassment is a dominant subject of their worries.
Some parents have even experienced significant somatization: it’s possible to experience a stomach ache or nausea in anxiety. While teenager are the immediate potential victims of school shootings, parents' anxieties and concerns deserve equal attention.
What you can do
The purpose of understanding emotions is to take ways to address the root causes of anxiety, rather than indulging in them and letting them kidnap your work and life.
On how to cope with the your endless anxiety problem, here is a brief list of several practical ways, including suggestions for regulating emotions, and ways to directly keep young people safe in schools.
1. Reduce social media exposure
Repeated exposure to the media content can exacerbate concerns about future security problems. In cases where excessive anxiety has developed, steps can be taken to temporarily move away from these sources of anxiety.
2. Seek emotional support and professional help
Reach out to a trusted person. If you can identify and label your anxious thoughts, then you have the ability to consciously transform illogical thoughts into more rational and adaptive ones. If your fear of school shooting causes serious impairment, it may be necessary to consult a professional.
3. Be engaged
Involve yourself in actions that will actually protect your teenager. You can start by learning about the security measures on your teenager's campus - understanding these security measures in detail can help to ease your anxiety; if they are not adequate, you can take the initiative with the university to improve them.
In addition, you can also make efforts outside of school to improve safety on your teenager's campus. For example, you can get involved in a wide range of safety-promotion or anti-gun actions, including talking to administrators, connecting with politicians, and participating in events or initiatives with community groups.
4. Responding immediately when your teenager is in danger
No matter how much mental self-regulation you do, it’s always better to act immediately when an emergency actually occurs in his/her schoolyard.
Some parents are using wearable safety devices: these devices are often able to alert parents in the event of an emergency in order to allow parents to know immediately where their teenager are experiencing an emergency and to call the police.
Switzerland-based company CERRET ( https://cerret.com ) is redefining personal safety with its innovative safety bracelet, elegantly designed to double as a stylish piece of jewelry. This lightweight bracelet not only enhances an outfit but also serves as a critical safety tool. In any threatening situation, the wearer can discreetly press the emergency button on the bracelet. This action triggers an immediate alert to designated emergency contacts, notifying them of the situation with a text message that includes the wearer’s real-time location. This location is continuously shared for up to 48 hours, ensuring that help is on its way and the wearer can be located and assisted promptly by family members or law enforcement.
( https://cerret.com )
Wearable safety devices could serve as a new way to address anxiety in a technological way: allowing you to know when your teenager is in danger without monitoring his whereabouts, making it possible for you to take timely steps to help your innocent teenager in addition to just being anxious and helpless.
In this unpredictable world, it's vital to prioritize not only your teenager's safety but also your own emotional and mental well-being. Beyond self-care practices like mindful massages, consider exploring direct and effective strategies to advocate for change and enhance your teenager's safety.