Anxiety and Your Child

In our previous post, we listed some methods you can use to help counter any anxious feelings you may be experiencing. This works well for the individual; but what about others? More specifically, children.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, children age 13 to 18 years old have been found that have a 32% lifetime prevalence rate of any anxiety disorder

This translates to roughly 1 out of every 3 children being susceptible to an array of anxiety related disorders.

Moreso, Kendall et al found that of these children with diagnosable anxiety, approximately 55% of them meet the criteria for another DSM IV diagnosis excluding anxiety disorders. They also found that parents of anxiety prone children are likely to report higher ratings of anxiety than their children do.

So the question arises, how can we help children who struggle with anxiety?

The Child Mind Institute lists 10 tips for parents with children fighting anxiety.

1. The goal isn’t to eliminate anxiety, but to help the child manage it.
2. Don’t avoid things just because they make the child anxious.
3. Express positive, but realistic, expectations.
4. Respect their feelings, but don’t empower them.
5. Don’t ask leading questions.
6. Don’t reinforce the child’s fears.
7. Let them know that you appreciate the work it takes to tolerate anxiety.
8. Try to keep the anticipatory period short.
9. Try to understand their thought process.
10. Try to model healthy ways of handling anxiety.

 

Hopefully these tips will be helpful to any parents, present or future, whose children suffer from anxiety. Just keep in mind that anxiety disorders are not the fault of the parent, and at the very least, be supportive of your child in their tolerance of anxiety.

 

The Positive World of Meditation

In our last blog post we talked about the different ways in which you can combat the everyday anxious thoughts that may be pestering you. In this post we’ll be discussing one of the methods in more detail: meditation.

Meditation:

Meditation is a practice that has its roots in eastern tradition. Modern research has recently made some breakthroughs in the psychological effects meditation can have on us. Davidson et al (2003) found that meditation produced significant increases in the activation of the left-sided anterior part of the brain. This pattern of activation has previously been associated with positive affect, and this activation pattern was only exhibited in meditators rather than non-meditators.

Aside from published research, stories of meditation being used to overcome personal obstacles have made it to national headlines. Just last month in the Washington Post an article was written about a woman who shares her story of overcoming clinical depression by practicing regular meditation.

So, we’ll lay out how you can get started with your first meditation in the comfort of your own home. The following steps should get you well on your way to your first successful meditation. We’ve also included a guided mediation video from youtube yogi: Yoga With Adriene.

The steps you’ll be taking are as follows: (Note: these steps apply to general meditation, but can also be helpful in the specific use of meditation to combat anxiety.)

1. Find a comfortable, quiet spot.
   • Settle into this location. Ensure that you are free from distraction and can spend a considerable amount of time there. You can sit on the floor, in a chair, or even lay down, whichever is most comfortable for you.
2. Close your eyes and begin
3. Observe your body
   • Take a few minutes in the beginning to familiarize yourself with the current state of your body. Focus on the areas where you may be harboring tension or restraint.
4. Start with soft breathing.
   • These should be soft, deep breaths. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Focusing on the chest as it rises and falls.
5. Take deeper inhales and hold them.
   • As you settle into your breathing pattern, start inhaling for a few seconds longer. Notice the feeling in the chest and the changes in the body.
6. Exhale Longer
   • After your first few deep breaths, inhales should be around 7 seconds while exhales should last about 8 seconds.
7. Re-observe the body
   • Now that you’re further into the meditative state, adjust your focus back to your body. Are there any areas in which you still feel tensions? Attempt to focus on these areas and release that tension.
8. Slowly open your eyes and come back to the moment.
   • Continue to focus on your breathing as you end your meditation session.

 

Hopefully this post has helped you to better understand how to practice meditation on your own as well as educate you on some of the potential positive effects of regular meditation!

Should You Be Suppressing Feelings of Anxiety?

Surely you’ve been there, experiencing a heavy mental load, filled with emotion, feelings of anxiety beginning to rise; but you’ve gotta go to class,  you’ve got a paper to work on, or you’re too busy studying for that upcoming midterm to dedicate any time to these pestering thoughts. It’s easy to just push them back and save them for another time.

Yet, research has shown that this may not be the best option for dealing with anxious thoughts effectively. Koster et al found that suppressing anxious thoughts can actually have a paradoxical effect in which anxiety and thought intrusion increases both during and after the suppression attempt (2003). This is a step in the wrong direction for those battling anxiety. Rather than attempting to suppress these thoughts, it may be better to analyze them and attempt to uncover which thoughts are truly rationale versus those that are merely anxiety related. It may even help to consider expressing these thoughts to others (Roemer & Borkovec, 1994).

According to TedX speaker Angela Ceberano, only about 8% of the things we worry about are likely to occur. She claims the following…

• 40% of the things we worry about never happen
• 30% are in the past and can’t be helped.
• 12% involve the affairs of others that are not our business.
• 10% relate to sickness, real or imagined.

Leaving only 8% of thoughts in which our worries are justifiable; but that doesn’t mean the other 92% of thoughts stop occurring.

Anxiety can be a lifelong battle for many people, so here’s some tips from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) on how to handle anxiety as it occurs.

• Find the source of what is making you anxious
  • Often, most of our anxious thoughts are about things that have a low rate of actually occurring. Taking the time to focus on the source of these anxious thoughts can help reduce further anxiety.

• Learn what can trigger your anxiety
  • Whether it’s a big test coming up or being in a large crowd, knowing what makes you anxious can help you avoid these situations altogether or help you feel a little more prepared to be in them. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America suggest keeping a journal of your anxious moments so you can look for patterns in your behavior and triggers.

• Take a timeout and breathe
  • When anxiety comes, it usually creeps up on you. Your mind starts racing, you feel nervous and out of control. Take a step back, close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths.Inhale through your nose, feeling your lungs fill with air. Exhale slowly through your mouth. These deep breaths will help slow your heart rate and relax your muscles.

• Adjust your daily habits
  • This may include a healthy diet, reduced intake of alcohol or caffeine, and a full 8 hours of restful sleep. Turn off all electronic devices up to an hour before bedtime, invest in blackout curtains, use lavender. Make sure that you feel rested for the next day. Eat healthy, well balanced meals to increase this energy and to help increase your body functions. Skip the coffee or soda and drink water. All of these steps can help in the overall reduction of anxiety.

Anxiety appears in all forms and intensities. Facing these anxious thoughts is difficult and a process but we hope we helped to equip you with information on how to combat these thoughts for the next time they occur. Most importantly, know you’re not alone and there are solutions.

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton