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Transcript of Stress and Anxiety in the Life of Your Child Presented by Caren Baruch-Feldman...
Stress and Anxiety in the Life of Your Child
Presented by Caren Baruch-Feldman
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