…ar bored or distracted, anxious children are actually too preoccupied with fears and worries to participate in activities and stay on task. Instead, their minds are elsewhere and lost in their worrisome thoughts, which can negatively affect their academic performance. ñ Timmy spends an inordinate amount of time on assignments, and always needs extra time to complete assignments and tests. He is forgetful, and has problems copying off the board, si…
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…ied tend to keep the abuse a secret, because of shame and embarrassment or fear of further pain they may suffer as a result of speaking out; thus, the bullying persists. If you are concerned that a child, friend, or family member is being subjected to this treatment there are common warning signs to watch for. It is important to pay attention to the child’s unexplainable injuries, lost items, frequent headaches or stomachaches, self-destructive be…
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…e, negative traits in our parents, especially those that caused us misery, fear and frustration, can also linger in our psyche and impact our behavior. This is especially the case in present moments of stress that somehow remind us of our past and manage to set off old triggers in us. As you may imagine, scenarios that are reminiscent of our childhood are increasingly likely to arise when we ourselves become parents. We may not really remember how…
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…warted by the fact that its positive thrust was accompanied by a guilt and fear reaction that led to the ever-increasing utilization of drugs and alcohol. This misguided attempt to quiet the emotional pain and anxiety that resulted from rebelling against societal norms, challenging the nuclear family, and seeking independence weakened them and eventually led to the downfall of their movement. These young men and women simply could not cope with th…
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…ar that these primal emotional systems, SEEKING (enthusiasm), RAGE(anger), FEAR, (anger), CARE, (maternal devotion) PANIC (sadness) and PLAY (social joy), are evolutionarily related across mammalian species, and three—namely those that mediate enthusiasm, sadness and social joy are especially important for understanding the genesis of depression.” In these two DVDs, Dr. Panksepp discusses the basic emotional systems, the neural foundations of awar…
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…tension or agitation regardless of the smile you glue on your face or the fears you try to hide behind closed doors. They become upset and worried, but because they are being overlooked, they feel that whatever’s happening is none of their business. Therefore, they have no one to talk to about what they are thinking and what they are feeling. So remember, just because kids can’t understand a situation, doesn’t mean that they aren’t affected by it…
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…lance, attuned communication and response flexibility, intuition, empathy, fear modulation, insight and morality. It can also help us to form healthier attachments. “The fantastic news is that if you can make sense of your childhood experiences—especially your relationships with your parents—you can transform your attachment models toward security,” said Dr. Siegel. “The reason this is important is that relationships— with friends, with romantic p…
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…at involves patients repeatedly exposing themselves or “testing out” their fears. For example, a patient afraid of contamination who worries about household dirt may touch his bathroom floor without washing his hands. A person who chronically checks for the stove to be off, may have to leave the house without checking any appliances. As they perform an exposure, the person learns to tolerate the anxiety that arises, while refusing to engage in any…
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…y worries. As the stories unfold, I hear about witnessing gang violence or fear of gun violence in her school. Kidnappings, rape and gun violence have been part of our society for a long time. The increased frequency and intensity of anxiety I am seeing in our children has led me to wonder about why they are so anxious, struggling to feel grounded and secure. Unwelcome events interject themselves into our lives and those of our children in insidio…
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…to do the same. We will all have moments when we are more or less calm or fearful, and we can take turns leaning on one another for support. We should also try to have fun, play games. and joke around. Laughing and allowing ourselves to relax with friends in familiar ways is something we should assign a lot of value in tough times. 5. Engage Your Mind When a crisis occurs, it can be really hard to think of anything else. Yet, with each day passin…
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