Anxiety is hard enough to deal with if you have life experiences that allow you to distinguish between real and imagined threats.We adults may know that alien invasion is very unlikely, but if your child mind, It may feel quite plausible.
If your child is prone to worrying thoughts, you can help them cope by categorizing their worries according to how realistic they are.child psychologist Dr. Emily W. King We call them “real” woes and “trick” woes. What really worries me is what could happen, such as getting a bad score on a test or getting injured while playing sports. Trick worries are things that aren’t real threats, like monsters in your closet or zombie attacks.
“As adults, we perceive ‘real worries’ as possible and ‘deceptive worries’ as irrational fears because they cannot or are unlikely to occur. Children also benefit from making this distinction,” King said.
R.real worry and trick worry
To help children tell the difference, explain brain science.
“We teach children about the upper cortex, the thinking part of the brain, whether their worries are tricks or real, how they can accurately assess the risks they are placed at, and what they should do next. You can teach them to decide,” King said.
The amygdala, which controls emotions, can overreact based on stories heard, pictures or videos seen, or past frightening experiences, King said.
“The difficulty is that when your amygdala is on high alert, you don’t always have access to rational thinking,” she says. “That’s where a secure, connected relationship comes into play that helps us keep our emotions under control.”
Children can worry about their safety or fear that something bad will happen at any time, especially in unfamiliar situations, when they are tired, or when they see or hear something dangerous. . Anxiety may appear at bedtime, before a test or new experience, or when the child is separated from the caregiver. Which worries are real and which are tricks?
“An example for children might be to explain that if you’re playing outside and it starts thundering, you’re really worried about thunder and you want to run indoors. That’s really dangerous,” King said. “The trick worry is thinking there’s a monster in the closet, or worrying that burglars will come into your house every night. Yes, burglaries do happen, but things like this The chances of this happening often don’t match the level of worry the child feels.”
How to help children manage themselves anxiety
Here are some ways to help children feel safe and connected.
- Remind us how to keep them and ourselves safe. For example, if we’re worried about a car accident, remind us how traffic laws, seat belts, and airbags keep us safe.
- Have a safety plan for situations that scare children, such as storms, fires, and swimming.
- Remind children who are worried about making mistakes or failing that it is normal to make mistakes and that they can actually learn from them..
- If bedtime or darkness triggers your anxiety, make the darkness fun by playing with a flashlight or making shadow puppets. It doesn’t have to be fun in the dark right before bed for your child to associate the dark with good times with you.
“When experiencing possible, but unlikely, trick worry, parents can turn to their relationship with their child to remind them of all the ways they are already safe,” says Professor King. said.
Try the following steps to help children deal with real-life and trick-worries.
- regulate. Try to tune your body through breathing exercises, stretching and movement. The most effective movement depends on what makes your child feel good, so try a few.
- educate. The difference between real and trick worry, what is likely or unlikely, and how the brain interprets worry when it’s emotional, tired, or under pressure explain.
- list. Some children may want to write down a list of their real and trick worries to distinguish between them and feel the power over them. Some children may find it helpful to list their concerns right away, while others may. more be on one’s mind. “Know when your kids are in their optimal brain space.rest and concentrate—to process these ideas,” King said.
- Normalize. “Remember that children’s brains are constantly adapting to new situations, and it’s normal to feel anxious at first,” King says. “Uncertainty does not necessarily mean danger.”
- revisit. See if your child’s anxiety has decreased after the “brave” experience. “If so, this will give them the confidence to brave the next time,” said Dr. King. “If not, monitor the situation and possibly consult a mental health professional.”
Practicing these steps will help you and your child develop simple expressions for assessing concerns as they arise. Is it imaginary? that is Worry about tricks. Is it very unlikely? Worried about tricks too. Could you? It’s really worrying, but this is how you protect yourself from worry and how you control your emotions at this time.
