Contrary to what people may believe, anxiety disorders are conditions not only restricted to the adult population. This dreadful and frightening mental condition can also affect our dear little ones who, in their innocence, are not free to the effects of stress in their lives.
Although they may be too young in our eyes to be ever concerned with anything other than satisfying their desire for fun and play, these kids can feel some pressure, too. Child anxieties are real. The stresses that they experience usually come in the form of being bullied by their playmates or being exposed to any kind of violence in the media or in their environment. Conflicts at home, separation from their parents and the grief that accompanies the death of a loved one or a pet can overwhelm their fragile coping system, as well.
Normally, child anxieties tend to fade away with time. Children outgrow them and live normal lives, able to cope well with duties and responsibilities. But there are instances when these fears go over the usual limit. When this is observed, parents’ attention and action are very much warranted.
Never ridicule or dismiss their fears.
When children experience fear and anxiety, it is important that parents hear them out. When they come forward with their problems, parents must never belittle their feelings as if their worries are not that important. Ridiculing them and dismissing their confessions by saying “don’t be silly, kid” is not helpful at all.
Responses of ridicule and dismissal from parents will result in children making choices based on their fears. They will end up avoiding and escaping every difficulty that they face. Sometimes, this can push children to seek the comfort they so want from their parents from other people who will make them feel better and safe. This kind of behavior could lead them to start missing school, join gangs, drink alcohol, smoke and use drugs.
Respect child anxieties.
In addition to the above mentioned impression, respect is a very important element in addressing the scared feelings of your kids. It is vital that every parent tries to comfort and appease the very common fears kids face – fears such as fear of the dark, ghosts, boogeyman, and odd noises. Mom and dad should try to act as if they were the ones feeling the anxiety. They should reflect what the fearful child should need most in such circumstance. They should feel the anxiety as if it were their own to be able to respond well.
Read more at Help Your Child with Anger
Author Ryan Riviera was a victim of anxiety. He has successfully overcome it through various anxiety coping techniques. If you are experiencing anxiety, visit www.calmclinic.com to learn more on how to solve yours.
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Sunday, January 15, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Florida Student Victim of Teen Group Violence
Many stories in the news lately deal with the rise in school violence. Take , for instance, this recent story about teen group violence against a 13 year old student in central Florida.
It was the victim's first time riding the bus. Not one student on the bus allowed her to sit down.Then a group gathered around her, punching and kicking the victim until she passed out. The brutality was so violent, the girl was diagnosed with concussion, severe bruising in the head and muscle spasms.The bus driver had to pull into a nearby school in order to alert officials and get help.
Violence in the classroom is a plague on modern society.Even though schools hire security guards, install metal detectors and video cameras, we parents and grandparents do not feel secure. Why? Until the root problem of outrage in schools is eradicated , these measures will only be temporary solutions to the problem.
Read more in School Violence.
It was the victim's first time riding the bus. Not one student on the bus allowed her to sit down.Then a group gathered around her, punching and kicking the victim until she passed out. The brutality was so violent, the girl was diagnosed with concussion, severe bruising in the head and muscle spasms.The bus driver had to pull into a nearby school in order to alert officials and get help.
Violence in the classroom is a plague on modern society.Even though schools hire security guards, install metal detectors and video cameras, we parents and grandparents do not feel secure. Why? Until the root problem of outrage in schools is eradicated , these measures will only be temporary solutions to the problem.
Read more in School Violence.
The Sad Case of Phoebe Prince
Phoebe Prince was an Irish teenager who moved from a small town in Ireland to a town in Massachusetts. In the fall of 2009, she enrolled a the local South Hadley High School. Within months, following a brief relationship with a Senior boy, Phoebe was bullied physically at school by abusive students and threatened daily with text messages.
On January 14 2011, Phoebe prince committed suicide at home.
Was there anything that could have been done to prevent her tragic death?
The father of a girl who experienced three years of bullying at the same school claimed that their complaints to the administration brought no satisfaction. It wasn't until Phoebe's death that the school started to put together an anti-bullying task force to deal with the climate of harassment and abuse at the school -- something that, in retrospect, should have been done sooner.
What is Text Message Bullying?
It is the use of mobile phones as an instrument of harassment. Bullies often use "pay as you go" mobile phones purchased over the counter of supermarkets or convenience stores to do their "dirty work." Because no proof of identity is required for the purchase of these phones, perpetrators of bullying by mobile phones are hard to trace.
According to Amy Norton of Reuters, text-message bullying is on the rise. 24 percent of over a thousand middle school and high school students surveyed in 2008 claimed that they had experienced harassment through texting.
Compared with a similar survey conducted with the same students the year before,incidents of text message bullying have risen by 14 percent.
Read more at Text Message Bullying.
On January 14 2011, Phoebe prince committed suicide at home.
Was there anything that could have been done to prevent her tragic death?
The father of a girl who experienced three years of bullying at the same school claimed that their complaints to the administration brought no satisfaction. It wasn't until Phoebe's death that the school started to put together an anti-bullying task force to deal with the climate of harassment and abuse at the school -- something that, in retrospect, should have been done sooner.
What is Text Message Bullying?
It is the use of mobile phones as an instrument of harassment. Bullies often use "pay as you go" mobile phones purchased over the counter of supermarkets or convenience stores to do their "dirty work." Because no proof of identity is required for the purchase of these phones, perpetrators of bullying by mobile phones are hard to trace.
According to Amy Norton of Reuters, text-message bullying is on the rise. 24 percent of over a thousand middle school and high school students surveyed in 2008 claimed that they had experienced harassment through texting.
Compared with a similar survey conducted with the same students the year before,incidents of text message bullying have risen by 14 percent.
Read more at Text Message Bullying.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Get healthy with Blueberries
If food is medicine, there is none better than blueberries,sometimes called squaw huckleberries or deerberries. The latest research has uncovered the powerful healing potential of this succulent fruit.
Scientists have also discovered that these tiny berries can slow down both the growth and proliferation of certain types of breast cancer cells. Other studies have also shown that certain compounds in this fruit can lower the proliferation of colon cancer cells by inducing programmed cancer cell death, a situation that bodes well for the cancer patients.
These blue fruits can also reduce the risk of heart disease because of their high fiber content and their anti-inflammatory action. Consistent intake of 1-2 cups of this fruit on adaily basis has been shown to decrease triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure.
A study in Canada also shows that drinking one cup of wild blueberry juice every day for 3 weeks reduces insulin sensitivity and inflammation, two factors that are related to heart disease.
Why not incorporate more blueberries into your diet?
Here is a fantastic blueberry smoothie recipe from Healing Cuisine!
Scientists have also discovered that these tiny berries can slow down both the growth and proliferation of certain types of breast cancer cells. Other studies have also shown that certain compounds in this fruit can lower the proliferation of colon cancer cells by inducing programmed cancer cell death, a situation that bodes well for the cancer patients.
These blue fruits can also reduce the risk of heart disease because of their high fiber content and their anti-inflammatory action. Consistent intake of 1-2 cups of this fruit on adaily basis has been shown to decrease triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure.
A study in Canada also shows that drinking one cup of wild blueberry juice every day for 3 weeks reduces insulin sensitivity and inflammation, two factors that are related to heart disease.
Why not incorporate more blueberries into your diet?
Here is a fantastic blueberry smoothie recipe from Healing Cuisine!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Mother's Smoking Habit and Her Baby's Brain
Animals exposed to secondhand smoke display symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety. The same association between tobacco exposure and mental health issues can be seen with humans.
In fact, a 2011 study from Finland suggests that a mother's smoking habits during pregnancy can have a deleterious effect on the baby's developing brahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifin.
Examining Finnish data from 175,000 children born in the country between 1987 and 1989, Finnish researchers have discovered that mothers who smoked while pregnant had a higher incidence of children on antidepressant medication, stimulants and drugs for addiction.
11% of children whose mothers smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes a day and 14% of children whose mothers smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day were on at least one psychiatric medication.
By contrast, only 8% of children whose mothers remained smoke free during pregnancy were on at least one of the drugs.
More can be accessed here.
In fact, a 2011 study from Finland suggests that a mother's smoking habits during pregnancy can have a deleterious effect on the baby's developing brahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifin.
Examining Finnish data from 175,000 children born in the country between 1987 and 1989, Finnish researchers have discovered that mothers who smoked while pregnant had a higher incidence of children on antidepressant medication, stimulants and drugs for addiction.
11% of children whose mothers smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes a day and 14% of children whose mothers smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day were on at least one psychiatric medication.
By contrast, only 8% of children whose mothers remained smoke free during pregnancy were on at least one of the drugs.
More can be accessed here.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
How to Handle Difficult Kids
What do you do when your child is defiant, aggressive and refuses to listen to adults?
Here is a piece of advice from Carole Banks, MSW, Parental Support Line Advisor.
"My Child's Behavior Is So Bad, Where Do I Begin?"
How to Coach Your Child Forward
Another one you might consider is advice from James Lehman on finding ways to make kids listen to you.How do you get oppositional kids to cooperate with you?
Setting Limits with Difficult Kids: How to Get Them to Listen
Here is a piece of advice from Carole Banks, MSW, Parental Support Line Advisor.
"My Child's Behavior Is So Bad, Where Do I Begin?"
How to Coach Your Child Forward
Another one you might consider is advice from James Lehman on finding ways to make kids listen to you.How do you get oppositional kids to cooperate with you?
Setting Limits with Difficult Kids: How to Get Them to Listen
Why We Need Exercise
Physical activity is a form of tension that teaches the body how to handle stress. Regular aerobic activity raises the alarm reaction of the body and in doing so, fortifies the nerve cells by activating the production of proteins that protect cells from damage and disease. Similar to a dose of inoculation, exercise raises the body's stress threshold by building the body's resilience.
In a recent experiment done at the National Institute of Mental Health, a group of mice subjected to intense stress developed anxiety-like behavior. They froze, hid in dark corners, refused to eat and acted in a depressed way.
However, another group of mice that had been allowed access to running wheels and passageways weeks before being subjected to the same stress, did not show signs of trauma at all. They appeared to have been immunized against the intense agitation they experienced. Somehow, the exercise they had on the running wheels made them stress resistant.
In short, exercise worked like a dose of inoculation with this second group of mice, providing them with a vaccine that primed their bodies, preventing them from falling apart.
In a recent experiment done at the National Institute of Mental Health, a group of mice subjected to intense stress developed anxiety-like behavior. They froze, hid in dark corners, refused to eat and acted in a depressed way.
However, another group of mice that had been allowed access to running wheels and passageways weeks before being subjected to the same stress, did not show signs of trauma at all. They appeared to have been immunized against the intense agitation they experienced. Somehow, the exercise they had on the running wheels made them stress resistant.
In short, exercise worked like a dose of inoculation with this second group of mice, providing them with a vaccine that primed their bodies, preventing them from falling apart.
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