NANA SAYS BELL LET'S TALK FOCUSSES ON ANXIETY

We all have some moments of anxiety on a scale of 1 to 10. Children manifest anxiety in various ways.
Fears come in many ways. The dark. The basement. Strangers, The dentist. Talking in front of people.
Shy children have some anxiety based issues. Withdrawing. Acting out.
School anxiety. Excuses not to go to school. There could be real events there- bullying, not being liked, not liking the teacher's style.
Behaviours can be identified. Biting one's nails. Headaches. Avoidance of many situations.
A parent with anxiety can expect their children may have some issues too.
It is important to identify anxiety. The extreme could be obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Panic attacks can be very scary.
Knowing how to parent and manage the small anxieties and knowing when help may be needed can be a fine line.
Not all anxiety is bad. We may study harder for a test because we want a good mark. We may practice our skills at skating or basketball or dancing to be better and not flub a game or dance competition. Practising a speech!
Learning strategies is key to living with anxiety. Having it work for us. Knowing it is okay to admit when we are nervous. Ask any worker about to head off in bad weather on the drive to work-anxiety is paramount.
Teaching children that anxiety is part of healthy living and not a dirty word. So find a professional to recommend some good reading for children. Even some children's stories can have themes around anxiety. The character in the story learns to overcome some adversity.
Having all of us slow down, deep breaths, identify what we are feeling and what is going on around us. Sleep. Exercise. Healthy eating. Good for so many areas of our lives. Listen to yourself as a parent. Listen to your spouse. Listen to your children.
Anxiety is a huge topic. Perhaps the conversation is just getting started today.