HANDLE CHILDREN ANXIETY
·
Encourage your child to discuss
his/her fears with you. Children, who are encouraged to talk
about their concerns and feelings, will feel comforted and less alone. By
listening to your child, you may also discover what the underlying problem is
and therefore find ways to help. Suggest that your child write a story or draw
a picture of scary things, and look for clues to help you understand his fears
better.
·
Reassure and comfort your
child. Children need lots of hugs and
assurance that they are safe and understood. It is important to acknowledge
their fears as being real to them and not trivialize their feelings. What
children fear may seem silly to you, but that doesn’t make the emotion any less
real.
·
Watch out for your own anxieties and
worries. In some cases, anxiety is a learnt
response and children may be picking up on your tensions. You are your child’s
best model for behavior!
· Teach your child relaxation
techniques like deep breathing during
anxious moments, counting to 10 or self-soothing statements. These methods can
help to empower your child and will provide the inner confidence needed to
overcome the fears.
· Routines and plenty of warning
before change can go a long way to making your
child feel more secure and less anxious. Explain new situations in advance in a
simple, friendly manner. (Try role playing to prepare for upcoming situations)
· Remind your child of old fears that
they overcame. This will provide the courage
and confidence to face current fears. Always praise children’s efforts and
successes when they do confront these anxieties.
·
Do not accommodate your child’s
fears. If your child fears something, don’t
purposefully avoid it as this will reinforce the need for escape and confirm
the ‘reality’ of the danger. However, DO reassure your child and try to help
him or her through the situation successfully.
· Don’t dismiss feelings. Telling
your child not to worry about her fears may only make her feel like she’s doing
something wrong by feeling anxious. Let her know its okay
to feel bad about something, and encourage her to share her emotions and
thoughts.
· Listen. You
know how enormously comforting it can be just to have someone listen when
something’s bothering you. Do the same thing for your child. If he doesn’t feel
like talking, let him know you are there for him. Just be by his side and
remind him that you love him and support him.
· Offer comfort and distraction. Try
to do something she enjoys, like playing a favorite game or cuddling in your
lap and having you read to her, just as you did when she was younger. When the
chips are down, even a 10-year-old will appreciate a good dose of parent TLC.
· Keep your child healthy. Make
sure he’s eating right and getting enough sleep. Not getting enough rest or
eating nutritious meals at regular intervals can contribute to your child’s
stress. If he feels good, he’ll be better equipped to work through whatever is
bothering him.
·Avoid overscheduling. Soccer,
karate, baseball, music lessons, play dates the list of extracurricular
activities kids can take on is endless. But too many activities can easily lead
to stress and anxiety in children. Just as grownups need some downtime after
work and on weekends, children also need some quiet time alone to decompress.
.
·
Consult a counselor or your
pediatrician. If you suspect that a change
in the family such as a new sibling, a move, divorce, or a death of a family
member is behind your child's stress and anxiety, seek advice from an expert
such as your child's school counselor, your pediatrician, or a child therapist.
They can suggest ways to help a child talk about death, for instance, or
help him through any other shift in the family.
·
Set a calm example. You
can set the tone for how stress and anxiety in children and adults is handled
in your house. It's virtually impossible to block out stress from our lives in
today's high-tech, 24-hour-news-cycle world, but you can do something about how
you handle your own stress. And the more you are able to keep things calm and
peaceful at home, the less likely it is that anxiety in children will be a
problem in your household
THANKS
By: Lubna Mehmood
Counselling Psychologist
Meerut U.P (INDIA)
