The post Coronavirus Anxiety Insomnia Is Real first appeared on Healthy Gab.

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1) Encourage your child to face his/her fears, not run away from them

When we are afraid of situations we avoid them. However, avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations maintains the anxiety. Instead, if a child faces his or her fears, the child will learn that the anxiety reduces naturally on its own over time. The body cannot remain anxious for a very long period of time so there is a system in the body that calms the body down. Usually your anxiety will reduce within 20-45 minutes if you stay in the anxiety-provoking situation.

2) Tell your child that it is okay to be imperfect

Often we feel that it is necessary for our children to succeed in sports, school, and performance situations. But sometimes we forget that kids need to be kids. School becomes driven by grades, not by enjoyment of learning if an 85 is good, but not good enough.This is not to say that striving is not important.It is important to encourage your child to work hard but equally important to accept and embrace your child’s mistakes and imperfections. 

3) Focus on the positives

Many times anxious and stressed children can get lost in negative thoughts and self-criticism. They may focus on how the glass is half empty instead of half-full and worry about future events. The more that you are able to focus on your child’s positive attributes and the good aspects of a situation, the more that it will remind your child to focus on the positives.

4) Schedule relaxing activities

Children need time to relax and be kids. Unfortunately, sometimes even fun activities, like sports, can become more about success than they are about fun.  Instead, it is important to ensure that your child engages in play purely for the sake of fun. This may include scheduling time each day for your child to play with toys, play a game, play a sport (without it being competitive), doing yoga, paint, have a tea party, put on a play, or just be silly.

5) Model approach behavior, self-care, and positive thinking

Your child will do what you do. So if you avoid anxiety-provoking situations, so will your child. If you face your fears, so will your child. If you take care of yourself and schedule time for your own needs, your child will learn that self-care is an important part of life. If you look for the positive in situations, so will your child. Children learn behaviors from watching their praents. So when you think about your child’s psychological well-being think about your own as well.

6) Reward your child’s brave behaviors

If your child faces his or her fears, reward this with praise, a hug, or even something tangible like a sticker or a small treat. This is not bribery if you establish this as a motivator prior to your child being in the situation. If you reward behaviors your child will engage in them more often.

7) Encourage good sleep hygiene

Set a bed time for your child and stick to that bed time even on weekends.  Also have a 30-45 minute bed time routine that is done every night.  This helps your child to transition from the activities of the day to the relaxed state necessary to fall asleep.

8) Encourage your child to express his/her anxiety

If your child says that he or she is worried or scared, don’t say “No you’re not!” or “You’re fine.”  That doesn’t help your child.  Instead, it is likely to make your child believe that you do not listen or do not understand him/her.  Instead, validate your child’s experience by saying things like “Yes, you seem scared. What are you worried about?”  Then have a discussion about your child’s emotions and fears.

9) Help your child to problem solve

Once you have validated your child’s emotions and demonstrated that you understand your child’s experience and are listening to what your child has to say, help your child to problem solve.  This does not mean solving the problem for your child.  It means helping your child to identify possible solutions. If your child can generate solutions, that is great.  If not, generate some potential solutions for your child and ask your child to pick the solution that he or she thinks would work best.

10) Stay calm

Children look to their parents to determine how to react in situations. We’ve all seen a young child trip and fall and then look to their parent to see how to react. If the parent seems concerned, the child cries. This is because the child is looking to their parent for a signal of how to react to the situation. Children of all ages pick up on their parent’s emotions and resonate with them. If you are anxious, your child will pick up on that anxiety and experience an increase in his/her own anxiety.  So when you want to reduce your child’s anxiety, you must manage your own anxiety. This may mean deliberately slowing down your own speech, taking a few deep breaths to relax, and working to ensure that your facial expression conveys that you are calm.

11) Practice relaxation exercises with your child

Sometimes really basic relaxation exercises are necessary to help your child to reduce their stress and anxiety. This might mean telling your child to take a few slow, deep breaths (and you taking a few slow breaths with your child so your child can match your pace). Or it might mean asking your child to image him or herself somewhere relaxing, like the beach or relaxing in a backyard hammock. Ask your child to close his/her eyes and imagine the sounds, smells, and sensations associated with the image. For example, close your eyes and picture yourself on a beach. Listen to the sound of the surf as the waves come in and go out.  In and out. Listen to the sound of the seagulls flying off in the distance. Now focus on the feel of the warm sand beneath your fingers and the sun warming your skin.Your child can do these techniques on his or her own during anxiety-provoking times.

12) Never give up!

Anxiety and stress can be a chronic struggle and often the source of a child’s anxiety changes over time so it can feel as though you are always putting out fires. With repetition of the anxiety and stress management techniques, your child will learn how to lower his/her anxiety level and how to cope with anxiety-provoking situations.The key is repetition so keep it up!

article source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dont-worry-mom/201302/12-tips-reduce-your-childs-stress-and-anxiety

The post 12 Tips to Reduce Your Child’s Stress and Anxiety first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 12 Tips to Reduce Your Child’s Stress and Anxiety appeared first on Healthy Gab.

My daughter tells me this almost every night at the same time. She feels fine all day but when it’s bedtime and I’m turning down the lights, her stomach hurts.

Nighttime is when many kids anxiety intensifies. It’s dark, they’re alone, there are no distractions…

We have worked together to conquer her anxiety and she knows I will remind her that her stomach is actually just fine and it’s just her worry.

My son on the other hand, used to tell me his stomach hurt every morning before school. He had separation anxiety and didn’t want to be away from me.

Of course, instead of telling me that, he just said his stomach hurt.

Why do kids say their stomach hurts?

Well, it’s because their stomach actually hurts.

The stomach is home to the enteric nervous system and is even often called your second brain. Big nerves and anxiousness create a real sensation in the belly area.

It makes for quite a cycle because as the anxiety creates a stomach ache, a stomach ache causes even more anxiety and it continues on.

One study discovered that more than half, or 51 percent of people surveyed who experienced stomach pains as children ended up with some type of anxiety disorder sometime in their lives.

The most important thing to remember about kids that often complain of stomach aches (assuming you have ruled out any real stomach issues) is that they are not making it up. They are not lying or doing it for attention. They’re body is taking their anxiety and manifesting it right in the pit of their stomach.

The post Kids Don’t Tell You They Have Anxiety, They Say ‘my Stomach Hurts’ first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post Kids Don’t Tell You They Have Anxiety, They Say ‘my Stomach Hurts’ appeared first on Healthy Gab.

Whether it’s making Afghans, baby blankets or clothing for adults or even bedding the act of knitting or crocheting it seems that the nearly automatic actions involved allows people to focus on the here and now – especially useful when having to listen attentively to someone.

In the United States there seems to be a renewed interest in both knitting and crocheting. The Craft Yarn Council has issued information that indicates that up to one third of women between the ages of 25 and 35 now knit or crochet.

Even medical practitioners have come out in favour of the hobbies. Well known author of “The Relaxation Response,” Dr. Herbert Benson has said that the repetitive actions involved in needlework lead to mental states that closely resemble those of people who engage in yoga and meditation.

Once the initial learning stages have been mastered needlework can lead to the lowering of the heart rate, as well as lowering blood pressure. The levels of cortisol, which has been associated with stress are also lowered. Of course the production of a tangible product also enhances self-esteem.

The Council has kept records of thousands of needlework aficionados ever since the 1990’s and these hobbyists have provided feedback on the positive benefits, including stress relief and creative fulfilment. It seems that both knitting and crocheting can help people handle work stress and clam thinking, which in turn assists with problem solving.

However, the hobbies can also help people cope with other challenges. A life coach named Karen Zila Hayes from Canada who manages knitting therapy groups has announced that she has seen improvements in people who are striving to quit smoking. She also runs “Knit to Heal” which assists people in coping with health issues such as a diagnosis of cancer or the illness of a family member. Similar programs in schools and prisons show that knitting and crocheting also help students and inmates calm themselves, as well as enhancing social skills. The complexity involved in many patterns has also benefited children’s maths skills.

There’s also some evidence to suggest that keeping both hands and mind occupied can help those who are struggling to lose weight. The focus required and the physical activity means that there’s less time for boredom and the attendant urge to snack. The physical activity can also help those who are suffering from arthritis.

A 2009 University of British Columbia study of nearly 40 women with anorexia nervosa who were instructed in knitting skills found that mastery led to significant improvements. Seventy-four percent of the women said the activity lessened their anxiety and kept them from repetitive thinking about their problem.

A life and wellness coach in Bath, England, Betsan Corkhill and author of the book “Knit for Health & Wellness,” set up a website, Stitchlinks, to explore the value of therapeutic knitting. 54 Percent of clinically depressed users said that knitting made them feel happy or very happy. In a study of 60 self-selected people with chronic pain, Ms. Corkhill reported that knitting enabled them to redirect their focus, leading to a reduction in their awareness of pain.

Research has also suggested that crafts like knitting and crocheting could potentially help to stave off a decline in brain function which has been associated with aging. In a 2011 study, researchers led by Dr. Yonas E. Geda, a psychiatrist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., interviewed a random sample of 1,321 people ages 70 to 89. The results of the study which were published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, found that those who engaged in knitting and crocheting had a reduced chance of developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss.

There are other studies that support this finding. A 2014 study by Denise C. Park of the University of Texas, Dallas demonstrated that learning to quilt or do digital photography enhanced memory function in older adults. Given that sustained social contacts have been shown to support health and longevity, people wishing to maximise the health value of crafts might consider joining a group of like-minded people.

The post Knitting for Health first appeared on Healthy Gab.

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