HOW TO PREVENT THE ANXIETY IN CHILDREN?
anxiety disorders in the biological or constitutional factors interact, environmental factors and personal factors. Among the former are genetic, biological (changes in brain anatomy in neurotransmitters, etc.) or constitutional, such as temperament. These factors predispose the individual to suffer from anxiety disorders. Environmental factors include life events or traumatic situations, the educational style of parents, and in general, the processes of socialization of the child-adolescent-adult in different areas of your life: family, school, friends, work, etc. Among the personal factors involved in the genesis and maintenance of anxiety disorders include personal and subjective assessment that each person makes of oneself (self) and the resources available to meet the individual problems (coping strategies). .
The people closest to the child have a role in the prevention of anxiety disorders. Parents and educators can reduce the impact of stressful life situations or events which the child lives, can educate them to enhance their personal resources and new experiences can promote and encourage healthy lifestyles. How? Here
will be discussed, some of the patterns or lines of action for carers of the child should take to prevent as far as possible that he developed an anxiety problem.
Reduce the impact stressful events ...
Children may lack the resources to adequately deal with situations or stressful or traumatic life events. The experience of separation, death of a relative or friend, a natural disaster (fire, flood), of theft, accident, etc. can overcome the child's ability to react adaptively. In these cases, people close to the child should:
1.Speak with the child for everything that concerns you, how you feel. Allow to vent and expose all your worries, doubts and feelings. Do not force your child to talk about their feelings, be available when he needs.
2.Actuar as role models and coping: Children learn to act and address the problems by imitating and adopting as its own modes of action of people close to them. In this sense, it is important that children learn to: • Demonstrate
feelings, not hiding them.
· Addressing the problems, not avoid them: if the child is afraid of any situation is important to encourage him to deal with it. How? A.Hacer
model for the child: to set an example to face the situation first, without forcing the child to do so: thus found to be close to the feared object (dog, lift, etc..) or in that situation is not dangerous or negative consequences.
b.Ayudar to expose the situation gradually, first together, then alone, start with the situation easier, gradually increase the difficulty ...
c.Felicitarlo the progress.
In other cases, everyday events like the birth of a sibling, the entrance to the school, problems with peers, etc. can be a source of concern for the child. Parents and caregivers should:
1.Comprender how important it is for the child that situation. We should not downplay events for adults can be trivial: a fight with a classmate, a teacher change, difficulty in any school subject, etc.. may be significant enough that the child is concerned.
2.Hablar with the child who is afraid of everything .. What worries him? What's the worst that can happen?.
3.Adopt an attitude conducive to the resolution of conflict or problems: what can the child do to solve this problem? How do you do? Is the fix in your hand?. It is important that caregivers take a management role too: the child must learn to solve their own problems. Solutions do not teach the child to be autonomous, but dependent on parents or carers and use them whenever you have a hiccup.
4.Interesarse by the evolution of the problem.
5.Animar the child, reinforce the progress. Educate
to enhance their personal resources ...
The response to a situation that generates anxiety depends in part on the resources available to the individual to cope with this problem and if it perceives that it is able to solve. In other words, not enough to have the weapons to deal with a problem, we must believe that they can fight it and overcome it. This feeling of self-efficacy has to do with self-esteem. In the formation of self-esteem is particularly important with the family and school. What can you do to promote good self-esteem in children? 1.Amor
unconditional unconditional acceptance of the parents is, without doubt, the best strategy to encourage the child self-esteem. The child must be certain of their parents' love for him by himself, not for what he does. Many studies have indicated that children with low self-esteem feel little accepted or rejected by their parents. Accept a child means, for example:
• Demonstrate affection, he is proud of him, enjoying his company. • Demonstrate
who understands your concerns, hear their problems.
· Accept your limitations, do not pretend to be perfect.
• Demonstrate affection even when he misbehaves. 2.Brindarle
support: parents must demonstrate to your child that they will be there when he needs help, teachers should convey to children that they can help when you have difficulties with their homework. 3.Ayudar
child to find skills, interests and activities. Strengthen and enhance their skills: Encourage your child to improve their skills in the tasks performed in a deficit and, above all, strengthened those you love and what better or more easily ago.
4.Corregirle when he does something wrong. It is important to critique his performance, but not his nature. It is more appropriate to say 'you did not do the bed' that 'you're a slacker, clumsy best note ...',' if you had studied more would have passed this exam 'that' you are lazy and stupid '...
5.Elogiarle for its progress, for the things he does well. Do not demand perfection or quickly. Assess how valid the results to be getting though not perfect. As you will do things better and faster.
6.No be too overprotective. We have seen that children who are too overprotected by their parents often have low self-esteem. The feeling of being able assert for ourselves is built day by day and depends on our activities and the problems we face. You have to let the child alone to face their problems and learn strategies to overcome them. Parents may not always be there to solve all the problems of his son.
In this sense, it is important to encourage in children:
7.Una active approach aimed at solving problems:
a) assess a problem as a challenge rather than a threat.
b) believing that the problems are solvable.
c) Believing in one's ability to solve problems well.
d) Do not expect the problems to be solved by themselves, not to postpone the resolution of the problem, not help it.
e) Active search for solutions.
is clearly not enough to encourage the child to act this way, but parents and other caregivers should behave the same way, act as role models to follow for the child.
8. Promote their autonomy. It is important that children from small purchases responsibilities at home and at school, help with small chores (set table, wash dishes, make your bed, etc..) Collecting his desk, help maintain order in the classroom ... These tasks will much more complex with increasing age. However, the autonomy goes beyond the child knows fend for themselves in everyday tasks. Parents should not be managers and yes, however, encourage the child to be able to make their own decisions, even at the risk of making mistakes, and having different experiences, even at the risk of a negative. This implies that it is better advised to sort, suggesting that imposing.
9.No be too demanding. Some parents set very high goals and expect their children to get excellent results. Other parents do not explicitly express this interest but it does reinforce the child differentially depending on the results. An excess in the external demands that the family can lead to high anxiety states in children. This may be worried about disappointing their parents if their grades are not as good as they expect. In other cases, the children themselves who set goals too high. Most often it is unsafe for children and adolescents and perfectionists, who base their self-esteem in getting to be the / the best in everything. In these cases should be:
· Reduce the level of demand from parents. This should be realistic and go according to the child's ability.
• Create an atmosphere of acceptance: the child must know that their parents are not going to stop wanting it if it leads home bad grades.
• To promote a balanced life: school performance is not everything, are also important diversions.
Avoids perfectionist habits: study until late at night or repeated many times a job until it is perfect is not healthy. There should be a timetable and a realistic study goals.
· Timer sports and cultural activities the child likes.
healthy habits, promote new experiences ...
is strongly recommended that children have very different experiences. This will enable them to meet different people and make friends, know better themselves and know what your outstanding skills and interests, encounter different problems and develop skills and strategies to solve them, etc. In short, encourage new experiences in the child can build self-esteem and coping resources and establish a network of social relations.
social support is without doubt one of the most important to prevent psychological problems including anxiety disorders. It is important to promote children's social relations: let make outings with children, hiking, staying with friends, set a time to return home to be prudent but not overly restrictive ... more experiences different strategies have an older child to develop coping. The more friends you have better and feel supported to overcome various problems.
One of the fears of parents, especially when their children are adolescents, the friends around him might adversely affect him. Parents are concerned that the child can consume alcohol, snuff or other drugs, get into fights, etc. We know the relationship between drugs and anxiety disorders. A high intake of coffee, snuff, alcohol or other drugs can have negative consequences for mental and physical health of the child and interfere with school activities or work and their family and social relationships.
is important that parents
· Be informed about drugs.
• Talk to the guy or drugs, their properties and effects. It is best not to appear repressive, convey the idea that you can talk to their parents openly about your concerns.
Do not act like a policeman: the parents are not 24 hours with the child or the child may try to avoid drugs. Should trust him and insist on dialogue.
• To promote healthy habits: eat a healthy and balanced diet, physical exercise regularly. Exercise helps improve mood and relax. It is an 'antidote' natural anti-stress.
While different activities to enhance a child's abilities is desirable and healthy, and promote different experiences can develop strategies to address problems and build a good social support network, not go overboard or the amount of things to do or in what is expected of them. Children with excessive extracurricular activities show fatigue, stress and feel pressure. They have the need to comply with everything and everyone and realize that they can not. This may impact negatively on their mental health. It is recommended:
Do not fill the week of activities. Planning a time with the child and spend enough time on homework, school and rest. The schedule should be realistic.
rewarding activities • Plan for the child. For example, if your child's mathematics can cost a few hours a week to review this matter, but also other activities that the child feels best: football, music ...
• Activities must like the child, not just the parent. Some parents want the child to study or practice an activity that they could not do in his childhood. We must listen to what the child wants.
Do not have to be overly demanding children. Should be encouraged to do so as best I can, and to reinforce small steps, but do not demand results.
One last note ...
As discussed throughout the text, in the education of children and adolescents involved both parents and teachers and others close to the child. It is important that:
· communication among all persons involved in the education of the child and inform each other of the problems you have.
· You make a common front to address these issues, this implies that there must be unity of purpose and everyone must work in the same direction.
Source: Naomi Gullamón. Anxiety Clinic, 2004.
To complement the following links you may find very useful:
SLEEP LIKE?
AS STRENGTHEN YOUR SELF-ESTEEM AND YOUR CHILDREN?
common mistake PARENTS?
PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT COURSE
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