Children & Anxiety

By Dr. Dawn Huebner. photo from NHPR.org

     On the way in to my office the other day, I heard a few moments of a rebroadcast of The Exchange's Anxious Times - Helping Kids Cope.  I immediately knew that many of my clients would find it helpful and I wanted to share it with you.

"Learn to take action in positive ways."

     Dr. Huebner  talks with kindness and empathy about ways that parents can help their children overcome anxiety.  She explains what the brain does when it perceives danger, how it's helpful when danger is real, and unhelpful when danger isn't. 

     Children experiencing their parents' breakup go through at least some anxiety on top of what they may otherwise encounter.  As Dr. Huebner explains, parents can teach their children skills to deal with this anxiety before it cycles around on itself and grows.  Anxiety leads to avoidance.  Avoiding things that cause anxiety causes more anxiety. 

    "And also, as people are doing exposures, they learn to get used to the feeling of nervousness and fear, which is a really important component. It relates back to something we touched on earlier, which is that anxiety becomes a loop where you feel nervous about something and you want to avoid that thing. And then you need to avoid that thing in order to feel any sense of relief. And the more you're in that pattern of avoiding, the more that pattern is self-perpetuating."

      Dr. Huebner stresses that parents should talk to their children.  Children hear and pick up bits and pieces of all kinds of things.  Parents must talk to their children to help avoid misunderstandings that can cause unnecessary worry.  Dr. Huebner suggests starting a conversation by asking what the child already knows so that the parent can assess what needs to be discussed.   

    Learning to take positive action, helping children step towards the anxiety, creates a tool for children that they can carry with them throughout their lives.