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Aug 19, 2024 · On the other hand, if your child’s fears are persistent, overly intense, or begin interfering with their daily life, it might be time to seek help. Signs that fear may be something more include: Obsessive worrying: Your child fixates on the object of his fear, thinking or talking about it often, or even when the trigger isn’t present. For ...
- Helping Children Cope With Trauma
Typical reactions of children ages 6 to 11: Anxiety;...
- Self-Regulation
Children with ADHD or anxiety may find it particularly...
- Panic Attacks
While young children can have fearful or panicy episodes,...
- Praise
There are certainly ways to make praise more effective in...
- OCD Resources for Parents
Children who have OCD struggle with either obsessions or...
- Rae Jacobson
©2024 Child Mind Institute, Inc., a tax-exempt charitable...
- Anxious
When kids are anxious, it’s natural to want to help them...
- Helping Children Cope With Trauma
2 days ago · When kids are anxious, it’s natural to want to help them feel better. But by trying to protect kids from the things that upset them, you can accidentally make anxiety worse. The best way to help kids overcome anxiety is to teach them to deal with anxiety as it comes up. With practice, they will be less anxious.
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- None of us wants to see a child unhappy, but the best way to help kids overcome anxiety isn’t to try to remove stressors that trigger it. It’s to h...
- Helping children avoid the things they are afraid of will make them feel better in the short term, but it reinforces the anxiety over the long run....
- You can’t promise a child that her fears are unrealistic—that she won’t fail a test, that she’ll have fun ice skating, or that another child won’t...
- It’s important to understand that validation doesn’t always mean agreement. So if a child is terrified about going to the doctor because she’s due...
- Encourage your child to talk about her feelings, but try not to ask leading questions— “Are you anxious about the big test? Are you worried about t...
- What you don’t want to do is be saying, with your tone of voice or body language: “Maybe this is something that you should be afraid of.” Let’s say...
- Let your child know that you appreciate the work it takes to tolerate anxiety in order to do what she wants or needs to do. It’s really encouraging...
- When we’re afraid of something, the hardest time is really before we do it. So another rule of thumb for parents is to really try to eliminate or r...
- Sometimes it helps to talk through what would happen if a child’s fear came true—how would she handle it? A child who’s anxious about separating fr...
- There are multiple ways you can help kids handle anxiety by letting them see how you cope with anxiety yourself. Kids are perceptive, and they’re g...
Oct 11, 2023 · Up to 1 in 5 kids will develop what healthcare providers consider anxiety disorders. Childhood anxiety disorders differ from normal fear or anxiety because they involve more extreme avoidance, bigger emotional reactions or last longer than expected. Children with anxiety disorders often have emotional outbursts like crying or tantrums.
Feel the lotion seep into the skin. Inhale its scent. Focus on the sensation of self-soothing. Lavender, in particular, has been used to soothe anxiety in children and teens. Take action techniques. Become an anxiety detective. Instead of distracting your child from their fear, encourage them to examine it more fully. Critically evaluate their ...
- Identify Triggers.
- Validate and Empathize.
- Challenge Unhelpful Thinking.
- Practice Deep breathing.
- Break Down tasks.
- Role-Play.
- Build Overall confidence.
A helpful first step is for you and your children to become aware of and recognize what causes them to feel intense anxiety. Once those triggers are identified, you can implement many of the tips below.
Children's thoughts, emotions and experiences are real to them. No matter how you think or feel about their experiences, it is important for your children to feel heard, validated and understood. Empathize with your children, imagine what it is like to be in their shoes, and recognize and affirm that their thoughts, feelings and experiences are val...
Ask your children to talk you through the thoughts they are experiencing that are unhelpful and causing them distress, such as "I am going to fail my test and then fail my class." Once you know what thoughts your children are telling themselves, you can work with them to identify more realistic, helpful thoughts. Ask questions to get them thinking ...
Deep belly breathing is a tool to help calm down, refocus and think clearer. It increases oxygen levels in the bloodstream and decreases heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and stress level. Instruct your children to place their hands on their belly and chest. Tell them the goal is to take deep breaths with their bellies, which will lead to ...
Break down tasks into smaller steps so the overall process feels less daunting. For younger children, have random rewards throughout the process to positively reinforce their behavior. For older children, provide positive praise and encourage them to reward themselves.
If your children are worried about specific situations, role-play those feared situations to help them prepare. Examples could include ordering at a restaurant, buying a movie ticket, asking a teacher for help or inviting friends over.
Have your children perform tasks around the house to contribute to the family and build confidence. Offer your children opportunities to face challenges. It is important to praise their efforts and focus less on results. If they get stuck, ask your children about skills they used to overcome similar obstacles in the past.
The fear is real and persuasive, and for kids, they can be particularly debilitating. The good news is that phobias and fears in children are very manageable, and with the right guidance and strategies, kids can be empowered to move straight through the middle of the intense fears that get in their way. What causes intense fears or phobias?
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Mar 2, 2018 · 5. Don’t rush to reassure if you are sure that the child won’t be harmed. An over-response on your part will have two unintended but unfortunate consequences: If you panic, the child will ...
