Anyone who suffers from anxiety knows how terrifying and mind-numbing it can be. Anxiety makes stressful situations worse by amplifying one’s worries. Even adults have a really hard time to manage their anxieties, imagine how difficult it must be for a child, who is just finding their way into the world. As the best CBSE boarding school in Dehradun, we strive to create a safe and sound environment for our students.
The most common mistake parents commit is to undermine their kid’s fears. Even though, their intentions are to protect their child from suffering, their words or actions might still come across as negative to the scared/anxious child. This further results in the deepening of the kid’s fears as well as becoming less vocal and more disturbed. The other mistake that they might make is stopping to expose their kids to whatever it is they are anxious about because they don’t want to see their kids suffer. This approach ends up stunting their kid’s overall growth and makes it even harder for them to live their life as adults without the protection of their parents.
So, what does one do?
There are various kind of anxieties that a person can suffer from such as social anxiety, panic disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), specific phobias and so on. So here, the best boys’ residential boarding school, Saigrace Academy International, attempts to help you recognize, understand, and assist your kids in dealing with pressure-related anxiety.
Understand the Core of Their Anxiety
Before treating any kind of problem, one should have a good understanding of its root cause. Try to figure out the root cause or triggers of your child’s anxiety either by talking to them or observing it on your own. There can be a number of reasons for child’s avoidant tendencies. For example, having a hard time making decisions, being scared of deadlines, fearing time limits, fearing being noticed, etc. And all these fears stem from different reasons for every child; therefore, the approach to treat these issues will be widely different too.
- Feeling overwhelmed: Anxious children can feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks they need to perform and how long it will take. For example, their home-works, projects, daily chores, playing, etc. This can lead to them avoiding all the tasks until the last moment, and they come across as procrastinators.
- How can you help? In this case, help them divide their tasks and ask them to focus on one task at a time. If it is going to be a busy week, have them make a to-do list daily and ask them to stick to just that list for that day. Dividing tasks into smaller pieces will relieve them from the overwhelming feeling.
- Time limits: Some children crumble under the pressure of time limits. Unfortunately, in today’s society, time-limits are everywhere, especially in academic institutions.
- How can you help? In this case, gradually exposing children to time limits can help them manage their anxieties better. Start with giving them small assignments with shorter time-limits, like a 5-minutes test. Also, assure them that it’s okay to move past answers that they don’t know and finish those that they do know. This way you’re desensitizing them toward the time limits and also getting a few questions wrong.
- Decision-making: A lot of children have a really hard time in making decisions. These can range from the smallest of decisions such as what to eat, what to wear, etc. to the bigger, more important decisions such as which subjects to choose for further study, which career path to take and so on.
- How can you help? In this case, the only thing you can do is to teach the children to sit in their discomfort and learn to be okay with their decisions. Again, you can start by exposing them to a lot of decision-making activities. Gradually, they’ll be able to choose an option and not go numb or be paralyzed.
- Performance Pressure: In such competitive environments, comparison among your peers is inevitable. But children can feel this pressure more extensively. The pressure to be the best in their class, to look good enough, to be cool enough, to be popular enough, etc.
- How can you help? In this case, feeling pressurized is often just the symptom. The actual reason could stem from having social anxiety. So, consult with a professional and follow the guidance given by them.
It is really important to note that managing children’s anxiety is one of the hardest things to do. It is a slow and time-taking process. As a parent, you should be extremely patient and cautious and seek help whenever required. At, Saigrace Academy International, we train our staff members to be observant and caring toward all our students. We aim to create an environment where each student feels heard, seen and safe. So, come and join us at the best boarding international school in Dehradun, in creating a better tomorrow for your children.
