How Parents Can Deal with Anxiety
in the Young Generation
By Michelle Pereira
Parenting plays a critical role in anxiety treatment. It is often more important than medication and psychotherapy because it’s the first line of attack to deal with the problem. Kids often worry about their acceptance in society, such as doing bad at school, friendship issues, etc. At times like these, what a kid needs the most is some form of support that parents can provide. These problems might seem very small or irrelevant, but parents must try to listen and understand the issues from a child’s perspective.
Learn the Basics
A child’s world is much smaller and so even small details matter. Encouraging the child to voice his fears and providing context can help the child. Try to shift your focus on the positives, compliment him or her. Try to focus on past successes, share how the child was able to cope with such problems in the past, provide your example or experience, and express that no matter what, you will always be on his/her side.
More Tips on Handling
Avoid asking questions that can act as a trigger for anxiety. Some of these questions can be, Are you going to be ok? Are you prepared for the test? Have you memorized all the formulas? And can you do it on your own? These queries can do more harm than good; it will give rise to a feeling of self-doubt. Children with anxiety disorder repeatedly need reassurance; they might frequently ask if they are doing ok? If they will be able to make it?. For encouraging the child, parents generally provide reassurance by answering such questions, which leads to the formation of dependency in the child.
Stop Discouraging
If parents truly want to be helpful, they should discourage such self-doubting questions and rather help the child lower his stress and anxiety levels. Teach skills of problem-solving and coping, share some strategies to manage anxiety and stress like deep breathing, mindfulness exercise, or listening to music. If the child’s anxiety increases in frequency, or if there are concerns or worries or regular headaches or stomach aches, then the parents are recommended to seek additional help, which can include therapies or medications with the consult of a doctor.
Antidepressants and Tolerance
Antidepressants can be beneficial for those suffering from anxiety disorders. Citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), paroxetine HRI (Paxil), fluvoxamine (Luvox), and Prozac (fluoxetine) are some of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that can be used. Beta-blockers and antihistamines can also be used to relieve mild cases. Alprazolam (Xanax), Lorazepam (Ativan), Diazepam (Valium), and Buspirone (Buspar) belonging to the class benzodiazepines are also advantageous but are not recommended owing to their addictive nature.
The tolerance of your body increases, and thus, higher and higher doses of these medicines are required to reach the same result. Antipsychotic drugs, namely Seroquel, quetiapine, aripiprazole, and Anticonvulsant drugs, namely pregabalin (Lyrica), gabapentin (Neurontin), are also taken by many to treat anxiety symptoms. Consult of a doctor is necessary before taking any such medication.
While Valium along with other popular benzodiazepines are extremely popular when treating these types of conditions, they must be taken with caution. Valium addiction is much more common than you think, so make sure you are keeping a close eye on your child's prescriptions so you are sure they are not abusing them.
Psychotherapy - Manage Stress
Psychotherapy is another potent approach for tackling anxiety disorders. Most cases of anxiety can be effectively treated without medication and using only therapy. This method gives the control in your hand and allows you to manage the stress. The basic idea of treatment is to understand behaviour and reactions, to recognize triggers, and to change your behaviour and negative mindset slowly. These therapies are customized to match your symptoms and diagnosis.
The duration of the sessions and the choice of therapy are set based on the severity of symptoms. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the most used therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders. The therapy teaches you to recognize and change behaviors and thought patterns that might trigger anxiety. Parents can also join their children in such sessions to make him feel more comfortable. Lastly, be there for your child; there is no such thing as a perfect parent. So be a real one and help your kid in every manner possible.
Conclusion
Nowadays it is seen that Anxiety is a great cause for teenagers and adults to overcome it. It is actually a natural response of our body to stress. It may anything like going to school or a job, speaking anything in front of others, etc., all these are examples of anxiety that cause nervousness and fear. As a parent, it is very important to deal with this anxiety in your child. You need to help them to overcome their anxiety. It is necessary for them to come out of it.
About the Author:
Michelle enjoys travelling to places which are very close to the nature. She has a dream of visiting most of the best beaches of the world and try to capture a lot of photographs.
