https://www.heartmath.org/resources/downloads/helping-children-reduce-anxiety/
After watching the webinar I posted about last week around anxiety in kids, I wanted to encourage you again to listen to it. This is something anyone who has interaction with children should listen to (hey…it might even work on your significant other haha). But in all seriousness, the world we live in is very different from when most of us grew up. Here are a few bullet points that were big take always for me:
*1/3 of teens suffer from an anxiety disorder.
*There is a reason behind every behavior. When we understand the reason, we can change it long term. Instead of reacting to the behavior, step back and understand what drives it.
*We are currently living in an era of distraction with the constant use of technology. Having this technology at our finger tips has made kids underdeveloped with their sense of time. Life has become more immediate (for example, you used to have to wait a week for a TV show. Now you can binge it).
* Kids with anxiety usually have underdeveloped skills in the areas pictured above. As caregivers, parents, teachers, we need to think about areas our kids are lacking in and set goals with 1-3 strategies attached to that goal. This made me think about my own son. He struggles with organization and when I tell him to “be more organized,” he doesn’t know what that means even though he acts like he does. I need to show him specifically what that looks like by helping him use a planner, setting reminders, and showing him my organization system. I need to set a goal and attach specific strategies to it so he and I are on the same page.
* Don’t assume kids understand what you mean when you ask them to perform tasks. Provide them with specifics (have a picture of what the room should look like when you ask them to clean their room).
This was just a snapshot but very much worth finding an hour in your day to listen to!
CrossFit Kirkwood 