Stress and Anxiety in the Life of Your Child

Presented by Caren Baruch-Feldman

drcarenfeldman@msn.com

Mamaroneck SEPTA April 15, 2010

GOALS FOR TODAY’S TALK

1. Understand the Stress Faced By Children

2. Coping Strategies That Can Be Used by Children, Parents, and School Personnel to Combat Stress

Is Stress and Worry Good, Bad, or Something In Between?

“The Yerkes-Dodson Law of Arousal

Performance increases with arousal, but only to a certain point.

When levels of arousal become too high, performance will decrease.

When Some Concern is Appropriate

Why Are Children So Stressed? • Pressure to Succeed• Need to Be Good at

Everything • Rushing Children

Through Childhood• Feeling Out of

Control• Parental Uncertainty

Types of Stress Faced By Children

• School related

• Peer related

• Home life

• Financial

When Should One Be Concerned About Their Child’s Level of Stress?

• Behaving Differently From Usual

• Avoids Activities That He/She Used to Enjoy.

• Significant Change in School Performance.

How Can Children Turn Their Worry Into an Appropriate Level of Concern To Feel Better?

(1) Psycho-Educational

(3) Changing One’s Behavior (physiological and avoidance)

(2) Changing One’s Thoughts

No?Yes!

Understanding Stress and Worry

*Genetic Predisposition *Worry as a Bad Habit *Choose a Different Path

Changing One’s Thoughts

How One THINKS About A Situation Affects How One Feels.

Experiment 1 Worried Florida Old Lonely Orange Bingo Conservative wrinkle

Experiment 2

Picture yourself in the following situation:

You are standing in line at the bank. There are about 50 people around. A robber enters and fires his weapon. You get shot in the arm, but no one is hurt.

Would you consider yourself lucky or unlucky?

Expecting the Worst ……Worrying

Changing Ones Thoughts

1) Identify Negative Thoughts.

2) Question and Challenge Those Thoughts.

3) Come Up With More Realistic and Optimistic Thoughts to Feel Better.

Questions Children Can Ask Themselves

• Where is the evidence that what I am expecting will happen?

• Am I exaggerating? • Am I jumping to conclusions? • Am I focusing just on the bad things? • Is it helpful how I am thinking?

Changing Behavior: Physical Sensations

• Be A Detective • Change Your Breath

Changing Behavior: Don’t Avoid

• Facing One’s Fear or Stress

• Manageable and Hierarchical Manner

• Success Breeds Success

Putting It All Together

What Parents Can Do

• Sharing One’s Own Experiences • Exercise • Eating and Sleep Right • Be A Good Role Model-Mirror Neurons• Identify Strengths and Talents• Grateful Activity • Journal the Positive