What Parents Need to Know About Anxiety (with Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart)
Dec 8, 2020
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Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart discusses distinguishing anxiety from normal childhood fears, strategies for alleviating anxiety in children, importance of parent-child communication, and navigating children's emotions to build resilience.
34:50
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Quick takeaways
Anxiety disorders in children can significantly impair daily functioning, requiring parental support for coping strategies.
Normalizing children's feelings of anxiety and teaching coping mechanisms can foster emotional intelligence and resilience in children.
Deep dives
Understanding Anxiety Disorders in Children
Anxiety disorders in children can manifest as more than just fear and worry. Conditions like agoraphobia, panic disorders, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety can significantly impair a child's everyday functioning. The distinction between normal fear and anxiety disorders lies in the level of impact on daily life activities like school, learning, and friendships. Factors like heredity, learned behaviors, and predisposition can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders in children.
Parenting Strategies for Managing Child Anxiety
Parents play a crucial role in supporting children with anxiety. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of anxiety in children and explaining how anxiety works can provide clarity to both parents and children. Teaching children coping mechanisms like deep breathing helps them gain control over their physical responses to anxiety triggers. Redirecting negative thoughts, using affirmations, and visual/sensory imagery can help children navigate challenging emotions and replace them with more adaptive thoughts.
Avoidance vs. Coping
Avoidance behaviors reinforced by parents can exacerbate anxiety in children. Avoiding anxiety-triggering situations may provide short-term relief but reinforces the anxiety cycle in the long run. Engaging in avoidance strategies can wrongly signal to children that avoiding discomfort is the path to feeling better, perpetuating anxiety. Approaching anxiety with coping strategies, even when challenging, fosters resilience and growth mindset in children.
Normalizing and Addressing Child Anxiety
Normalizing children's feelings of anxiety is essential to create a safe space for them to express their emotions. Acknowledging that anxiety is a common struggle and educating children on how anxiety works can help them understand and externalize their feelings. Encouraging children to confront their fears gradually and empowering them with tools to manage anxiety fosters emotional intelligence and resilience in children.
Pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart joins Janet to discuss the common concerns parents have about anxiety in children. Dr. Lockhart explains how we can distinguish anxiety from normal childhood feelings of fear and worry. She also shares steps parents can take to alleviate anxiety and prevent it from becoming an issue.
For more advice on common parenting issues, please check out Janet's best-selling books on Audible, FREE with a 30-day trial membership if you use this link: adbl.co/2OBVztZ.
Paperbacks and e-books are also available at Amazon, Google Play, Barnes & Noble and Apple Books.
Janet's exclusive audio series "Sessions" is available for download. This is a collection of recorded one-on-one consultations with parents discussing their most immediate and pressing concerns (www.SessionsAudio.com).
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