It took me over two decades of dealing with chronic worry to learn there is no one-size-fits-all-magic-pill solution for anxiety. I’ve also learned, however, there are research-based methods that do work well for many people (including children) in a variety of situations. For long-term relief, I always recommend cognitive behavioral techniques to manage worry. For short-term…
Sixth grade history was a tough subject for me. Anytime Mr. Brown asked a question, I desperately averted my eyes or doodled in my notebook to look busy. Once in a while he called on me anyway. That triggered my anxiety: “What if I get the answer wrong?” “What if everyone laughs at me?” “What if……
One of the most powerful techniques to manage child anxiety is something I learned from a man named Chesley. Chesley loved planes. The first time he ever saw a plane speeding down the runway and rising off the ground, he was awestruck. Chelsey was five years old and he knew right then and there he had to have…
“It’s thin,” she said with a barely perceptible crack in her voice. I was on the phone with Jilly, my best friend from high school. Her voice always cracked a bit right before she was going to cry. We’d both been anxiously awaiting responses to the college applications we’d sent out earlier that year. Before…
As all the kids line up to go to school, your son, Timmy, turns to you and says, “I don’t want to take the bus. My stomach hurts. Please don’t make me go.” You cringe and think, Here we go again. What should be a simple morning routine explodes into a daunting challenge. You look at…
As a child, I was what some might call, “anal.” I was a perfectionist at home. I hated any disorder around me, anything I could not control. I obsessed over chipped paint in my bedroom or unplanned time. I refused to leave my house with out-of-place hair or a wrinkled shirt. My family nicknamed me…
One in five children will suffer from depression before their 18th birthday. Suicide rates are unacceptably high amongst our youth today, the saddest part being the motives behind these suicides, and the reasons that drive these severe onsets of depression. Anxiety is not a ‘small issue.’ If your child is an excessive worrier, suffering from the…
When we see someone else, our child or a friend, suffering from a broken heart, we know exactly what to do for them. We know that compassion, patience and understanding is what our loved one needs from us during the dark days following a relationship breakup. As she is in the throes of despair and grief,…
“I didn’t get invited to Craig’s party . . . I’m such a loser.” “I missed the bus . . . nothing ever goes my way.” “My math teacher wants to see me . . . I must be in trouble.” These are the thoughts of a high school student named Jeremy. You wouldn’t know…
Children are highly influenced by their friends and peers. Children who socialize with aggressive and disruptive children may find themselves acting out in the same way. While many studies have looked at how aggressive behavior among children affects the entire group, not many studies have looked at how depressive and anxious behaviors are contagious. In…