I would say growing up is a scary thing for everyone especially for a younger children. I would try and encourage the good things that can come from the future rather than making them worry about things that might not matter in the moment. I provided some nice things you could possibly say to your students if you feel like they would be helpful. "You should not sweat the small things in life." "If you fail a test, you always have next time and there will be plenty of tests you will have in the future." "Everyone has their weaknesses and just because you aren't good at one thing now, that doesn't mean you can't be later with practice."

I believe that the only way to combat negative thoughts is to permeate them with positive thoughts. Instead of giving the student's a general suggestion like "think positively!", supply them with tangible reasons to be excited, such as looking forward to their future career, getting their drivers license, or even just graduating. These are all things that give students more freedom, which is an essential element of happiness!

While growing up is scary there are some things that they should be excited about. Becoming your own person and experiencing your own freedoms is exciting and a great way to mature. While there are scry things I think a great way to focus on the exciting things is maybe bring up things like school dances coming up or even holidays. These are exciting cultural events that make people happy.

Instead of responding with those phrases, you could have your students do a daily journal submission. In this writing assignment, have them write about something that they are grateful for. This will allow them to see the good that is in this world.

Being able to look at a silver lining is something that I have always found helpful both inside and outside the classroom. Negative things do happen yes, but what are some positives that can be found about it as well? This would make students feel heard but also gain a new perspective.

I think it is important to help students think about the future. Let them figure out things they want to do in order for them to be excited about it. Life will always have good experiences and they could start thinking about some they want to experience.

As a teacher, you can foster optimism in students amidst the challenges of modern society by first validating their concerns about the world. Rather than using dismissive phrases, acknowledge the reality of their worries and then gently shift the focus to empowerment and action. Please encourage them to engage in small, positive activities that can make a difference and highlight stories of individuals, especially young people, making positive impacts. Teach them critical thinking skills to navigate the overwhelming information online and help them develop a broader perspective by discussing historical challenges and progress. Promote a balanced digital diet and create a supportive classroom environment where they can express themselves freely. By integrating social-emotional learning, encouraging their passions, and being a role model of optimism and resilience, you can help them see that despite the world's complexities, there is still joy to be found and a hopeful future ahead.

I think that having real discussions is the best way here. I would keep opinions out of it but also let the students kind of take it and run with it and you guide it.

I think that instead of only focusing on positivity, it may be helpful to normalize "failure" or "hard times." To create a growth mindset you must encourage mistakes as it is apart of the learning process, mistakes and failure are fully apart of the great things they have to look forward to in life.

never lose confidence!

I think you need to introduce your class or kids with such problems to the fact that United States Marines exist and make sure that they understand that they need not worry because there is no Marine that would allow something wrong to happen to them. I know is true because I'm a Marine.