Child Anxiety

Help Your Kid Reduce Anxiety

When it comes to children, it is obvious that none of them are cut from the same mold. The personalities of young children, particularly once they start entering their independent stage at 4 or 5 years old, are varied and interesting. Even in a single family there can be several siblings that each has their own distinct characteristics and personalities.

One example of this is the difference between a child who seems to be afraid of everything and one who does not appear to be scared of anything. What is it that causes one child to be more prone to developing fears and phobias than the next?

For the most part, children are not born being afraid of something, it is a fear that is developed over time. Babies and young children have a knack for sensing fear in the adults around them, so if their parent or an older sibling is scared of something and makes a production of it in front of the child regularly, it is likely that the child will grow up fearing the same thing.

Learning to fear can sometimes go beyond what is learned from family members depending on the types of television programs that the child is exposed to, and television will often aggravate a fear that already exists in the child's mind. Children who have very active imaginations may suffer the most when it comes to fear and anxiety, especially with children who are afraid of the dark.

If you have a child that has developed fears or phobias and are interested in helping them overcome those fears, there are a number of things you can do to help. Because fears are largely learned mechanisms, they can also be unlearned so that you child can live a normal life.

Since kids have a tendency to mimic behaviors, it is imperative that you appear courageous in front of your child whenever possible. If your child is distraught because they saw a spider, your job is to get rid of that spider no matter how afraid of spiders you might be. Handling that situation as if it was no big deal will show your child that they have nothing to worry about.

Children and adults alike have a tendency to run in the other direction from something they are afraid of, but your child needs to understand that they cannot run from their problems forever. Teaching your child to use logical decision making techniques to assess a situation and react appropriately is something that you can start doing when your child is very young. Continuing this learning process throughout their formitive years will make a world of difference in how they handle stressful and scary situations as adults.

The one thing you should absolutely never do when helping your child overcome their fears is force them to remain in a situation that makes them afraid. Not only is forcing a child to face their fears counterproductive, but it can actually cause irrepairable emotional damage that will follow them throughout their lives. Of course, it is acceptable to gently encourage your child to overcome, but be very careful to let your child set limits that they are comfortable with so that you do not make the problem worse for them.