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Better Health D |
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| SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2023
Anxiety
and children For some, anxiety is driven by the
unknowns a new school year brings.
(PHOTO COURTESY OF ISTOCK)
By Cori Urban
ries in a notebook kept at his trauma,” she added. address sleep disturbance,” ages dealing with stress and Special To The Republican bedside so they will be there Anxiety is diagnosed by a Fater said. “That and feelings anxiety. Even a short walk can clinician after a comprehenof restlessness and muscle make a difference.” Everything that is new about to discuss with his mother in sive assessment of a person’s tension and general fatigue The National Institutes of the beginning of a school year the morning and he doesn’t have to think about them all biopsychosocial history can wear down the immune Health reported a correlation — new teacher, classroom, night. “He has been able to including his or her function- system and leave children between diet and anxiety, schedule, subjects, friends, use the notebook to prompt ing across life domains. The subject to illness.” noting associations between bus route, lunch and recess conversations with his family assessment might include a If anxiety is causing a child high anxiety and high fat, high routine — can be exciting for sugar and highly refined carsome children, but for others, and create plans to address his standard measure such as the to have difficulty concentratconcerns about the bus sched- GAD-7 for General Anxiety ing, the child is not going to bohydrate diets. “A similar asit can all just be a source of ule and lunch,” Fater said. Disorder. The criteria consid- absorb new academic masociation was found between anxiety. “Anxiety is a normal re“For some children, anxiety is er the intensity and duration terial. “School performance lower anxiety and higher fruit sponse to life stressors. We driven by all the unknowns a of feelings of distress and the is also impacted by lack of and vegetable consumption, negative impact on function- quality sleep. Even if the anx- eating breakfast and consumneed anxiety to help us focus new school year brings.” on important things; to keep There is no definitive ing across domains. One can iety is not causing a child to ing omega-3 fatty acids (found us safe in the face of danger, cause of anxiety. “It is likely be diagnosed with General have difficulty concentrating, mostly in fish). More research to involve a combination Anxiety Disorder or a specific humans don’t learn well when is needed in this area,” she to help us focus and accomanxiety disorder such as social we are tired and irritable, and added. plish critical tasks,” explained of environmental, genetic, Jean A.Fater, program director for Children and Youth Outpatient Services at BHN WellBeing Center for Community Behavioral Health in Westfield. “It becomes a serious concern when we cannot control it and it becomes excessive, interfering with our normal functioning.” Anxiety is defined as excessive worry, or apprehensive expectation, about events or activities that one finds difficult to control. For someone to receive a diagnosis of anxiety the symptoms must occur Jean A. Fater - Program Director for Children and Youth Outpatient Services at BHN in Westfield more days than not for at least six months, and it must cause some impairment in daily developmental and psychoanxiety disorder, separation we don’t get along well with If children are anxious anxiety disorder or agorapho- others,” Fater said. about new situations and functioning. Often people will logical factors,” said Fater, bia. Diet and exercise must also events, they may also refeel anxious for a short time in who has a master’s degree in anticipation of an event such Mental Health Counseling Anxiety can look different be considered when dealfrain from participating in as the first day of school, but and Expressive Arts Therafor each person, but some of ing with anxiety. “There is activities they might actually pies from Lesley University in the common manifestations a great deal of research that enjoy and miss opportunities it doesn’t reach the level of a Cambridge. “It does seem to are restlessness or edginess, shows exercise as beneficial to engage and learn. “A big disorder. Fater has one young client run in families, so genetics is fatigue, difficulty concenin reducing stress, improving part of school performance is transitioning to a new elemen- considered a risk factor.” trating, unusual irritability, sleep and mood. Exercise social and emotional educaEnvironmental factors muscle tension and sleep dis- has been shown to decrease tion. When we are tired, we tary school who recognized include stressful or traumatic turbances. Children may also sensitivity to the body’s lose our patience, we don’t that his anxiety was keeping him up at night. He likes little events which have been asso- try hard to avoid the situation reaction to anxiety. Exercise is follow directions well, and our notebooks and practicing his ciated with anxiety disorders. that is causing anxiety. also a proactive way to release decision making is impaired,” “We know that quality of tension,” Fater said. “We alFater said. “Children can benew ability to write. He decid- “We see anxiety quite often in ed that when he is worried at children and adolescents who sleep is important to good ways promote movement and come very reactive and then health so it’s important to playful activity to folks of all ostracized when others avoid bedtime, he will write his wor- have experienced complex
“School performance is also impacted by lack of quality sleep. Even if the anxiety is not causing a child to have difficulty concentrating, humans don’t learn well when we are tired and irritable, and we don’t get along well with others.”
them. They lose that sense of connection with peers.” Her general approach is to teach children what is going on in their brain when they are anxious. “We listen to their concerns, validate them and ask the child to figure out a plan or response so they learn to be empowered,” she said, adding that children are taught grounding skills — so they have a way to regulate when they feel out of control — and to anticipate the distress, put a name to it, and increase their capacity to tolerate it. Children are reminded that anxiety is a normal fact of life and how to use it wisely. Anxiety is not something she tries to cure. “A measure of anxiety keeps us safe, teaches us about our limits and is necessary for motivation. We strive to teach folks how to anticipate it and to limit anxiety’s negative impact on functioning. They can learn to cope with these feelings and to thrive,” she said. Parents and caregivers can help themselves and an anxious child by planning something fun, getting exercise, being well rested and allowing extra time to deal with conversations about what is causing the worry. Anticipate some of the concerns your child might have and create plans as a family. Solicit input from the children. Prepare yourself. “And remember that you are not alone. Reach out to other families or school resources if you need support. Back-toschool is a community event,” Fater said.
For more information, go to bhninc.org.