When children suffer from chronic anxiety, even the most well-intentioned parents, without wanting to create further problems, may make exacerbate the problem. The reason this happens is that most parents don’t know how to handle or support children suffering from anxiety. Instead, they try to protect children from their fears. For example, if you are taking her to a methadone clinic Louisville ky and they are afraid of the shot, don’t talk it up with them too early. Also, don’t just take her to any methadone clinics in KY but do your research.
Don’t aim for eliminating anxiety, but helping your child manage it
No parent would want to see their child suffer, but trying to remove stressors that cause anxiety isn’t the best way to go about it. Even the best methadone clinic Louisville ky would not do that. Rather, the objective should be to help them learn how to cope with their anxiety and operate as normally as possible, even when they are anxious. With time, their anxiety will decrease.
Don’t avoid things just because they make a child anxious.
When your focus is to help your child avoid the things that cause them to be anxious, they will only feel better temporarily. However, this will reinforce the anxiety in the end.
For example, a child that’s in an uncomfortable position begins to cry. If their parents get them out of that place or remove the thing they are scared of, the child will learn this coping technique. The cycle can repeat itself.
Express positive — practical — expectations.
Instead of promising your kid that their fears are unfounded- that they will have fun ice skating, fail a test, or that they won’t be laughed at by other children, express confidence that they will be okay. Make them believe that will manage it. Also, explain to them that as they take on those fears head-on, their anxiety will decrease over time. This way, they will have confidence because you gave them realistic expectations and that they aren’t asking them to do what they cannot manage.
Respect their feelings, but avoid empowering them.
When it comes to fighting anxiety, one thing you should understand is that validation doesn’t have to always mean agreement. For example, if your child is scared to go to a doctor because of a shot, you should not trash these fears. More importantly, however, you need not amplify the fears. Instead, offer a listening ear and show empathy, help them understand the reason for their anxiety, and encourage them to have the feeling that they can conquer their fears. You want to tell them that you understand they are scared and that it is perfectly okay. Show them that you are there for them and are ready to help them get over it.
Avoid asking leading questions.
It is advisable not to ask leading questions, but encourage your youngster to talk about what they feel. Examples of leading questions are: “Are you scared of the upcoming science fair?”, and “Are you anxious about the exam?” Doing this only feeds the anxiety cycle. Instead, you can ask them open-ended questions. An example is: “How do you feel about the upcoming test?”
Be Sure not to Reinforce the fears of your child
You should avoid saying, whether with body language or tone of voice, that your child should be afraid of something. For example, assume that your child is scared of dogs. Next time you are around a dog, you could be anxious and concerned about how the kid will react. In doing so, you might send a message unintentionally that the child should, indeed be scared.
Encourage tolerance for anxiety.
It is important to let your child understand the work required to tolerate anxiety to do what they need or want. It is about encouraging them to actively take part in life and allow the anxiety to run its natural course. This is known as the “habituation curve”. This means that the more the child interacts with the stressor, the more the anxiety will drop. Don’t expect the anxiety to drop to zero, or even end as fast as you would like. However, this is the best way to overcome our fears.
It might not drop to zero, it might not drop as quickly as you would like, but that’s how we get over our fears. In the end, there is no drug or methadone clinics in ky that can treat anxiety. However, the professionals there can help you manage it.
Keep the anticipatory period as short as possible.
When scared of something, the most difficult time is just before you do it. The best advice for parents is to try and keep or even completely eliminate the anticipatory period. For example, if your child is nervous about visiting methadone clinics in ky, you should not start the discussion about a few hours before you go. Doing that will most likely get the kid more keyed up. Therefore, try shortening the period as much as possible.
Discuss with the Child
It is advisable to talk with the child about what would happen if their fears were to come true. What would they do to handle it? If a child is anxious about being separated from their parents, for example, they may worry about what happens in case they are not picked up after soccer practice. It is important to talk about this. So what would the child do? The first thing may be to tell the coach that their mom isn’t around. The coach would then call the mother, or they would wait with the child.
If your child is scared that someone else might be sent to bring them, you might have a code word for your child that anyone would not know. Sometimes, all you need to reduce the uncertainty healthily and effectively is a plan.
Try to come up with healthy ways to handle anxiety.
There ate many ways of helping children to handle anxiety. The best way is to show them how you cope with the condition. Kids are perceptive. If you keep complaining to your friend over the phone that you are unable to handle the anxiety or stress, they will take it in. This doesn’t mean pretending that you don’t have anxiety or stress. The point is to let your children see how calmly you are managing it. Let them see how you tolerate it, and even show them you feel good about getting over it.
Conclusion
Parents often find it challenging to help their children cope with anxiety. Most of them, in a bid to help their children, inadvertently make the situation worse. But by learning the coping mechanisms above, you will help your child to overcome and outgrow those fears safely and healthily. Remember that no methadone clinic Louisville ky can cure anxiety. The best way is to learn how to cope with it.
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