childhood anxiety
how it affects children and how to help
Children suffer from many different types
of anxiety, find out how the different types
of anxiety affect your child. Massage can
help reduce stress in children and help them
better cope with everyday life.
Anxiety is present in everyday life but can
be problematic within our children. So, it is
important to know the types of anxiety that can
affect them. Separation Anxiety is not limited to
children 12-18 months old but can be influenced
by parental relationships and more commonly
bullying. The child could refuse to go to school
due to the bullying or a school phobia.
A generalized anxiety disorder is similar to the
title, children may have excessive anxiety about
a variety of things (things in general) with no
specific cause. Post-traumatic stress disorder
while most commonly associated with returning
soldiers, affects children if they experienced a
traumatic event such as domestic abuse, losing
a loved one, experiencing a natural disaster, or
sexual assault. These events cause high levels
of anxiety as well as flashbacks, and reliving
the experience. Social phobia disorder is seen
in children who have excessive fear of being in
social situations like crowds or groups. Obsessivecompulsive
disorder which includes repetitive
thoughts (obsessions), placing objects in the
same arrangement or unending desire to repeat
specific acts (compulsions.)
communication
When working with your child at home try to be
consistent in handling discipline, remembering
anxiety is not willful behavior, so being
patient with your child is important. Always
communicate clear and realistic expectations
for your children, and as hard as it may be, keep
perfection to a minimum. Accept mistakes, praise
and reinforce effort even if the end result is not
up to your standards. Help create goals with the
child surrounding a specific event that may be
causing them anxiety, give strategies such as
time management, organization and even small
scripts for what to do or say. Avoid being critical,
this can lead a child into the depths of anxiety!
If the problem persists, seek help, don’t assume
that it will go away or that the child is just being
difficult.
massage
By creating one on one time with your child
through massage you are fostering a relationship
that will grow stronger. A parent can begin forging
a strong bond with their child as early as infancy
by massaging their child. This massage time can
provide a time for you to sit down with your child,
discuss their day, or any anxiety they may have,
and massage provides an outlet for the anxiety.
Studies have shown children and adults that
experience massage have diminished anxiety
during hospital stays, academic stress and other
anxiety related events.
Tina Allen, LMT, CIIT, CIMI
WomanToWomanMagazine.com 27
/WomanToWomanMagazine.com
