Getting a Closer Look at Your Child’s Anxiety and Phobia
Fear and anxiety is part of normal living because life isn’t something that can be wholly mapped out without wonders, satisfaction or otherwise. The concern with fear is that it can easily overcome you and every so often, even run your life. Some experts on humanistic therapy explains that this is healthy for children, as long as the anxiety is guided into positive action and is kept at a manageable level with the help of parents. Humanistic Sandtray Therapy is a dynamic type of psychotherapy that lets clients express their innermost emotions by means of metaphor and symbol.
It’s accepted and even healthy for children to feel fear so that they will appreciate their boundaries and what pushing the boundaries of those limits can result to. For instance, babies go through a stage where they are frightful and terrified of other people that don’t look familiar to them, toddlers are anxious about the first day of school because they are troubled to be separated from their parents, teenagers are anxious about acknowledgement by their peers, and so on. Age-appropriate fears refer to those subject of fears that children encounter at certain age groups such as the fear of ostracism by teens and the fear of abandonment by younger children; preferably, children should be able to resolve these fears by themselves and move past them as time goes by rather than have these irrational fears step up as they are left disregarded and not thought about to.
As children conquer their fears by phases, they start to acquire the self-belief to venture further out of their comfort zone. Falling short to manage these phobias suitably can cripple your child by not being able to fulfill normal daily functions because of horror. What’s important is that you are able to find out, probably with professional help, whether your child’s phobia is actual or only anxiety.
Parents of younger children who have phobias can be assisted by attempting play therapy. Children who experience play therapy are allowed to play with toys and art materials; eventually they play or act out their fears somehow. It’s also important to note that parents can learn a lot through their children’s play therapy sessions because therapists usually encourage parent participation.
It’s true that facing one’s fears may become an elongated travel, but it’s better to face this trip with your child rather than have your child suffer it alone, or never go through it at all. Use optimistic, supporting language in helping your child slowly get out of his or her comfort zone, but put importance on advancing instead of stagnating and refusing to move forward. Instructing your other family members about the things that should and should not be performed concerning your child’s phobia is essential because your child’s interaction is not just limited to you but extends to other members of the family also.
Fleeing and setting up your life around your child’s phobia will stop you from having a normal life, and it will also give your child the wrong idea that it’s acceptable for their fears to control their life. Your child will never get beyond irrational fear by escaping from it or denying that it exists; this is something that should be faced, and you as a parent can help your child do just that.
