A large number of my clients suffer from Generalised Anxiety
Disorder (GAD) and I’ve been privileged to help them lead a less fearful and
more rewarding life; giving them the tools to understand and manage their own
symptoms. It’s great to see clients put their new-found knowledge into
practice; week-on-week I see them gain confidence and grow. Sadly, in the last few years, I’ve noticed an increase in
enquiries from parents seeking help for children suffering from anxiety
disorders. The number of school-age children I’ve treated for anxiety has
quadrupled; and the number is rising. But
why are so many children suffering with anxiety? What are the underlying
causes? And what can you do help your child? Often, children are displaying anxiety symptoms in response to
the school environment. Examinations,
ongoing assessments, peer-pressure, poor self-image and cyber-bullying; these
are very real problems facing young people today. Whatever has triggered the anxiety – the outcomes are very
similar. The anxiety builds gradually
over a period of time, until it reaches unmanageable levels; often resulting in
school avoidance. Mounting pressure from school and parents (who sometimes have to
take time off work/commitments to help deal with the issue) can compound the problem, leading to
an increase of anxiety and total school-refusal. Unfortunately, if the anxiety is not treated and managed, a
period of absence is not enough to make the problem go away. In fact, it can make things worse. The
anxiety symptoms take a hold and the child starts to avoid other, normally
enjoyable, activities such as parties, football matches, travel on public
transport or shopping. But the feelings of vulnerability are very real to your child – trying to force
reintegration at this stage can be counter-productive; resulting in extreme
reactions and physical symptoms (sore throat, migraine, fatigue). This is caused by the ‘primitive’ part of the
brain perceiving a threat; resulting in the fight/flight/freeze response. At
this stage, the child is in a heightened state of anxiety, believing they are
seriously ill; unable to bring the feelings back under control, they struggle to
function and cope with every-day situations. So,
assuming there are no underlying health issues or conditions, how can you help
your child to overcome their fears and get back to enjoying life? The first step is acceptance; that the problem is real – they
are not imagining it, being awkward or difficult. Acceptance alone shows that
you are taking the problem seriously; validating your child’s feeling will help
reduce some of the pressure on them and pave the way to seeking a solution
together. It’s encouraging that some schools are adopting a positive
approach to mental and physical wellness – offering mindfulness/meditation
programmes to help them feel a sense of calm and wellbeing.It’s worth asking your school if they offer this – and pushing
them to do so! I look forward to a day when all schools offer wellness
programmes as an integral part of their curriculum, but I think there’s a way
to go yet. I use a range of techniques to help clients, and their children,
manage their own wellbeing; using methods they can learn and use at home.There is no ‘one size fits all’ – I’ve achieved results using a
number of therapies; including hypnotherapy, mindfulness and more recently BWRT
(Brain Working Recursive Therapy). If you’d like to find out more, please visit my websites www.hypnolife.co.uk www.bwrtmiltonkeynes.co.uk You can also email me: [email protected]
or call me for a confidential chat on 01908
377703. Wishing you a calm, happy 2016! Rachael Rachael Slack is a Clinical
Hypnotherapist, Mindfulness Practitioner and BWRT® Practitioner, based in Milton
Keynes. |
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