Fears, Worries and Anieties

Our radio show today was a discussion about fears, worries and anxieties and how we as parents can help our children if they become constant inhibitions and overwhelming.

Although everyone experiences these natural feelings, there are times that they can be detrimental to our child's emotional health and well-being. As parents, we need to be cognizant of the signals that let us know that they are more than normal. Signs may be disturbed sleep patterns, stomach aches, headaches, tiredness, irritability, etc. Also some children's genetic makeup, character and temperament may be factors that accentuate these three feelings.

We, Allison and I, discussed a number of things parents can do to help their child overcome the fears, worries and anxieties. Again communication is the key. Sharing some of your own concerns when you were their age, lets them know these are normal feelings.

Allison suggested setting aside a time for sharing worries. Asking a child with respect to a specific event (an upcoming game or practice) or merely what the worries may be in general, gives your child the oppportunity to let you know what's bothering them. Kids often have misinformation or misperceptions about the world and sharing their worries may allow you to talk to them and give some facts which may alleviate the situation.

When talking about anxiety make sure you let them know it's okay to be anxious and normalise it. Often just letting them know it's normal, helps them get through it.

If your child is overly anxious—statistics say that 1 in 10 are—you should probably seek some professional help.

For more on this, tune into Island Parent Radio on Village 900, today June 26th at 7 pm (PST) or Sunday morning (July 1st) at 9 am (PST) and hear our complete discussion.