How to Reduce Anxiety in Children

Anxiety is a natural process for the mind to process troubles and problems in our lives. But when anxiety starts to become overwhelming, it is necessary  to have some processes in place to help overcome anxiety and develop coping mechanisms to help you deal with it when it arises. 

We have listed some helpful information for parents and teachers to help children and teenagers faced by anxiety for parents and teachers.

• CHILDREN WITH ANXIETY

Anxiety is a common behaviour in children as they work to find their place in the world. It’s a natural part of our survival instinct and contributes to that all important ‘fight or flight’ mechanism. While it’s imperative for our brain and body to remain alert in order to deal with impending danger, too much anxiety can be debilitating. 

Children often learn to cope with fear of the unknown, but, according to Beyond Blue Australia, they may need support if they appear to be feeling more anxious than other children of a similar age, if their anxiety stops them participating in activities at school or socially, if their anxiety interferes with their ability to do things that other children their age can do, [and/or] their fears and worries seem out of proportion to the issues in their life (Beyond Blue). 

Anxiety in children can present physical symptoms such as sleepless nights, stomach aches, diarrhoea and headaches, difficulty concentrating, and being tired and irritable. 

Sometimes when children are left to develop their own coping mechanisms to deal with anxiety, they may use an avoidance strategy or rely on an adult to deal with their issues for them. These solutions are not ideal in the long term. Avoiding situations can lead to troubles socialising, keeping up at school and lack of ability to deal with stress later.

• TEENAGERS WITH ANXIETY

School, social settings, family trauma and bodily changes can all contribute to anxiety in teenagers. But, what constitutes normal anxiety and coping mechanisms in teens, compared to anxiety that may need to be treated? If a teenager is struggling to keep their anxiety under control, then they need support. 

Like younger children, they are working to develop coping mechanisms, but overwhelming anxiety will need some form of intervention. Signs of anxiety in teenagers can be a racing heart, butterflies in the stomach, shakiness, or nausea, obsessing over things, and/or losing sleep. Overthinking situations is a common trait of anxiety in teens, as is irrational and negative thought. 

While it’s natural to want to avoid situations that can make us feel bad, it’s important for teens to find strategies to cope with anxiety in order to set themselves up for success in the future.

• TIPS FOR PARENTS

According to Viorel Lupu and Felicia Iftene in their journal article, The Impact Of Rational Emotive Behaviour Education On Anxiety In Teenagers, “Anxiety disorders are among the most frequent psychiatric disorders among children and teenagers”, especially in the 21st century. 

Beyond Blue tells us we can recognise the signs of anxiety in children and teenagers. They say children and teens might “seek reassurance often, avoid situations they feel worried or scared about, try to get others to do the things they are worried about, tell you they have physical pains, have lots of fears, get upset easily, cling to you, [not] want to get ready for school, [not] go to sleep without a parent or other adult, cry over small things, complain about being picked on a lot or always see the dangerous or negative side of things” (Beyond Blue). 

In order to help, it’s crucial to recognise these symptoms. It is important to seek support from a professional such as a counsellor, the child’s teachers, or a psychologist if the child’s symptoms are worrying. Rather than do things for the child, show them some coping mechanisms such as….... You can also develop problem solving skills for your child with your child so they are a part of their own treatment and the success of it. Also teach your child resilience and encourage them to try things that are giving them anxiety – the sense of achievement when an obstacle is conquered is confidence building and one of the best strategies there is! 

And most importantly, don’t assume the problem will go away on its own. Anxiety can develop into much more serious mental health concerns if it goes unsupported. Listen, care, understand, and work together to find solutions.

• TIPS FOR TEACHERS

By having a supportive classroom, with wellbeing at the forefront, teachers can support students with anxiety. 

In primary classrooms, it can help to teach relaxation exercises and skills, discuss healthy ways of dealing with anxiety and worry, and rewarding brave behaviour. Of course, self-regulation is key, and these skills can be modelled by the facilitator of learning. 

With teens, it’s important to be clear and precise about expectations, deadlines, assessment criteria and boundaries. By encouraging independence and showing teens that making mistakes is ok, while being consistent and showing there are consequences for task avoidance, they will build resilience and strategies to cope. 

Anxiety can sometimes be part of larger mental health concerns, so treat every case as an individual one and allow open lines of communication between yourself, the school counsellor, the student and the student’s family.

6 Tips for Managing Your Priorities at Work

Priorities, priorities, priorities… They’re a priority. 

As an educator, working out which hours can be allocated to engaging with parents, planning your lessons, managing school events, and (let’s not forget) empowering your students can be incredibly stressful without a set plan. 

Here are our top six tips to managing your priorities at work: 

1. Understand what your priorities are:

It’s time to accept that there are only so many hours in the day. So, start by identifying the urgent tasks on your to-do list and put them front and centre. To set yourself up for success, write out your game plan either in the morning or in the evening before you go to bed.

Bonus Tip: Tackle the biggest things on your list first. Completing and crossing off a big task releases serotonin, creates a sense of achievement and motivates you to power through the rest of your day more productively. 

2. Practice self-awareness and honesty: 

When creating your daily list of priorities, be honest with yourself about what is achievable. It’s always good to set challenges for yourself. However, setting unrealistic goals will only lead to disappointment, which will negatively impact your productivity.

3. Be flexible: 

As we know, life has a funny way of presenting you with more than you bargained for sometimes. This means you need to leave some wiggle room for when unexpected circumstances intrude on your routine. When a situation arises, assess its urgency and fit it into your list accordingly.

4. Know when to let go: 

Perfectionists, we are talking to you. It can be challenging to move on from a project you just can’t seem to get the way you wanted in the time you wanted - but hey, that’s life! Note that it is taking time away from other assignments that may cause you stress later due to lost time, and decide whether it’s worthwhile to remain fixed on this task, or whether it’s time to move on. 

5. Outsource where possible: 

This is where you get to practice your teamwork skills. By collaborating with your colleagues to alleviate an overflowing workload, you can match different tasks to different people’s strengths and not only will you be a more efficient team, but people will be working on things they enjoy.

6. Practice mindfulness:

Mindfulness, on top of relieving stress, allows for more efficient work all together when used in a daily setting. It doesn’t always require a formal meditation. Simply, be aware of your thoughts when focusing on your work. Every time your mind drifts to a personal issue you’re facing, or a piece of school politics pops up into your head, acknowledge the thought, and then push it to the side for later. This will give you the clear mindset you need to fully focus on the task at hand. 

Mindful listening is another great one for the workplace. Try listening to your colleagues with your full attention and be mindful not to cut them off or finish their sentences.

How To Encourage Active and Healthy Children

Kids today spend half the time outside that their parents did, according to a UK National Trust survey. Does this ring true for you? Are you struggling to motivate your children or students to be active? Daily physical activity has been proven to be beneficial for children socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically in relation to health, growth and development, and is crucial in preventing unwanted health problems, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (sadly, their great metabolisms can’t protect them from everything). 

It is recommended by The Australian Department of Health that children aged between 5 and 12 be active for at least 60 minutes a day, including both moderate and vigorous exercise. However, The Australian Health Survey revealed that only one-third of children, and one in ten young people undertook the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every day. So, what is stopping kids from wanting to participate?

Reasons for children not wanting to engage in physical activity vary from feelings of shyness, embarrassment or fear of failure to feeling emotionally off balance or just tired. It could be helpful to engage them in an honest conversation to understand any hesitation. 

Although some kids will jump at the chance to explore the outdoors, it's important to note that an alarming by-product of the 21st century and all the technology that comes with it, is that children are developing a preference for watching movies and playing video games instead. There are also instances in which children have developed negative feelings towards physical activity, as mentioned above. The big question is how to get them more involved. 

The key lies in catering to each child’s varied interests. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of understanding what they’re afraid of. If it’s a dislike of competition and/or a fear of losing, non-competitive sports can allow for a fun, active environment they feel safe in. 

As for children who run vigorously during their lunch break or participate in sports outside of school, they may easily achieve their daily target of 60 minutes, but for those who need a little piece of inspiration, here’s what we suggest:

If your child enjoys competitive sports, try getting them involved in a game of soccer, basketball, tennis, netball, hockey, cricket, baseball, rugby, handball, or even a scavenger hunt 

If your child prefers non-competitive sports, they might enjoy bush walking, helping out in the garden, bike riding, skateboarding, scooting, surfing, rock climbing, dancing, rope jumping, yoga, kayaking, frisbee, helping to wash the car or dog walking. 

Remember, the best encouragement you can give is to lead by example. If you present a positive attitude towards outside play and physical activity in general, it’s more likely they will want to participate and better yet, make it a healthy habit for life.

4 Crucial Steps To Mastering Self-Care

If you’ve ever felt bad for taking time out for yourself, stop right now. 

Despite some people believing that self-care is selfish or frivolous, we are here to tell you that it is one of the most selfless acts one can engage in. Ultimately, you are the best version of yourself when you are all taken care of, leaving you in a better position to manage your other responsibilities with more productivity and efficiency.

Any person involved in the workforce knows all too well how draining each day can be, not to mention all the extra responsibilities waiting for us at the end of the day, like the long lists of errands that need to be ticked off alongside the houses that still won’t clean themselves. This leaves a demand for you to be your best self and ready to take on whatever life throws at you.

Not only can your personal self-care impact your inner circle, but it actually improves your footprint within your wider community. Without a personalised self-care plan, you risk neglecting your own wellbeing and, in turn, making yourself unavailable for those in your care.

So, without further ado, here are four tips for creating and mastering your own self-care plan: 

1. Sleep Until You Are Refreshed

Did you know that humans can survive longer without food than they can without sleep? Not getting enough sleep is detrimental to your mental and physical health and has been linked to weight gain, as well as increased risks for strokes and diabetes. It is recommended that adults get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily, however some may feel refreshed after as little as 6 hours, or as much as 10. Once you find what works for you (and stick to it), we guarantee you’ll feel more energetic, productive and generally happier.

2. Eat For Health, Not For Taste

For most people, a lack of sufficient hours in the day is one of the grandest enemies of a healthy diet. This means, for those who are time-poor, preparation is everything. Aside from the physical health issues of a poor diet, eating high-carb fast foods can cause fatigue, put a strain on the digestive system and can have an adverse effect on mental wellbeing. For those on the go, we suggest ensuring you always have a healthy snack on hand to curb your temptation to reach for fast food. This can mean spending an hour or two each Sunday prepping and freezing your meals for the week ahead, setting you up for success!

3. Work It Out

Being and staying active is a major contributing factor to our overall wellbeing. Don’t worry - we are not suggesting you start running 5km a day or purchase a gym membership you may not even use. Simply, adjusting a few of your daily habits can have a substantial impact. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator, take a short walk on your lunch break or choose to walk 15 minutes to your destination instead of jumping on the 5 minute bus ride (despite the convenience). Any activity beyond what you are currently doing, will positively impact your overall health.

4. Take A Break

All breaks, including lunch breaks exist for the sole reason that we, as humans, need them once in a while.

Utilise your advantages to better yourself, which includes taking sick leave when you’re unwell (mentally or physically), because you can’t give what you haven’t got. Without your regular levels of focus, stamina or energy you’re not performing at your best, let alone recovering like you need to. Take a break, meditate and recuperate. 

Self-care is not a selfish act. Self-care has a positive impact on wellbeing and should be a priority in order to continue to be the very best you can be for yourself and for those around you.