Anxiety and Stress
Introduction
Anxiety is a natural human response to actual or perceived threats.
Adults can help children learn to manage their anxiety by understanding where it comes from and how thoughts contribute to it. Adults can also teach children relaxation techniques to reduce their anxiety. Sometimes, professional help may be needed to help both parent and child gain knowledge about anxiety and strategies for dealing with it.
Temperaments, genetics, and past experiences all play a role in how children react to their environment. By observing your children’s responses to daily events, you can apply skills and strategies that may ultimately reduce stress for the entire family.
For example, many busy families feel hurried by all their scheduled activities. By stepping back and looking at the crowded calendar, they can find solutions that benefit the whole family, such as cutting back on activities.
Not all stress and anxiety come from external factors, like being too busy. Sometimes, the greatest source comes from what you believe and how you transmit those beliefs to your children. For example, many parents feel strongly that all boys need to play sports. What happens when these parents have a boy who doesn’t like or excel in sports?
