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Three Ways For Young Persons to Manage Anxiety
Three Ways For Young Persons to Manage Anxiety
Most of us worry sometimes – about things like friendships or money – and feel anxious when we’re under stress, like at exam time.
Most of the times we can calm down and feel better after the stressful situation has passed.
But when you’re not in a stressful situation, and you still feel worried or panicky, that’s when anxiety can become a problem.
But when you’re not in a stressful situation, and you still feel worried or panicky, that’s when anxiety can become a problem.
Anxiety is a normal, human feeling of fear or panic. When we face stressful situations, it can set off our brain’s in-built alarm bell system, which tells us something isn’t right and that we need to deal with it. Our brain wants the difficult situation to go away, so it makes us feel more alert, stops us thinking about other things, and even pumps more blood to our legs to help us run away.
Three Ways to Manage Anxiety
Here are some prompt questions to help your child identify their anxiety patterns:
Are certain people or situations more likely to make me anxious?When do I start feeling anxious? What kinds of things do I do when I am nervous?How does my body feel? Knowing what causes anxiety can help them learn how to manage their fears, with the ultimate goal of relieving or eliminating their stress.
What-if questionsIt's easy to get sucked into negative thought spirals. "What if I mess up?", "What if everyone laughs at me?", "What if I answer this question in class, I'll say the wrong things and make a fool of myself?", "What if I get hit by a car when crossing the street?" Once you start thinking like that, it can be hard to stop. Learning to interrupt these spirals before they get out of control is critical. One way to reduce anxiety is to change negative 'what ifs' from problems to possibilities.
All-or-nothing thinkingWhen people believe that something can't be done unless it's perfect. All-or-nothing thinking is the inclination to evaluate things in black-and-white terms. It is illogical because, in reality, things are not one-sided or precisely another. Thinking in this way increases the anxiety level. People who tend to think about all or nothing have a hard time choosing between extremes – they'd end up with perfection rather than settle for anything less. For example, thoughts like "I always mess up.", "I need to do everything perfectly.", "I am not good enough." "I must measure up." We can help students learn to reframe their thinking and recall something they have accomplished despite the difficulties.
Three Ways to Manage Anxiety
- Knowing what triggers the anxiety is an essential step in addressing it. Your child can log negative thoughts, behaviors and situations when they experience stress. Keeping a behavior log for one week (or more) can help one identify patterns that may have developed over time.
Here are some prompt questions to help your child identify their anxiety patterns:
Are certain people or situations more likely to make me anxious?When do I start feeling anxious? What kinds of things do I do when I am nervous?How does my body feel? Knowing what causes anxiety can help them learn how to manage their fears, with the ultimate goal of relieving or eliminating their stress.
- The most common type of anxious thoughts tends to be related to a belief that something terrible will happen in the future, self-criticism, or a feeling of hopelessness. By identifying their anxious thought patterns, your child is more likely to know what to do when they catch one. Here are two examples of unhelpful thinking.
What-if questionsIt's easy to get sucked into negative thought spirals. "What if I mess up?", "What if everyone laughs at me?", "What if I answer this question in class, I'll say the wrong things and make a fool of myself?", "What if I get hit by a car when crossing the street?" Once you start thinking like that, it can be hard to stop. Learning to interrupt these spirals before they get out of control is critical. One way to reduce anxiety is to change negative 'what ifs' from problems to possibilities.
All-or-nothing thinkingWhen people believe that something can't be done unless it's perfect. All-or-nothing thinking is the inclination to evaluate things in black-and-white terms. It is illogical because, in reality, things are not one-sided or precisely another. Thinking in this way increases the anxiety level. People who tend to think about all or nothing have a hard time choosing between extremes – they'd end up with perfection rather than settle for anything less. For example, thoughts like "I always mess up.", "I need to do everything perfectly.", "I am not good enough." "I must measure up." We can help students learn to reframe their thinking and recall something they have accomplished despite the difficulties.
- Journaling is a great way to practice self-compassion and care for our mental health. Self-compassion involves treating ourselves with kindness and understanding when struggling or making mistakes. Practicing self-compassion will allow your child to develop effective strategies for overcoming anxiety. They can write about their fear, or they can use journaling to express feelings or emotions that come up when they are going through stressful times. In the case of journaling, it is crucial to remember that they do not have to verbalize their entire stream of consciousness or feel they need to tell their story—it is sufficient to keep a written log of the significant happenings in a given day. In this way, if they feel anxious about something specific (e.g., a test), they can write down how they felt leading up to it and after it's over. This will give context to their feelings and make it easier for them to identify the reason for anxiety.
If you have any concerns about your child's socio-emotional wellbeing in school, please feel free to get in touch with your child's Year Leader.
Ms Zanthe Ng,
Whole School Counsellor
Mr Daniel Tan,
Whole School Counsellor
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