Teaching in the “age of anxiety

Anxiety symptoms in children are not straight forward, this was a key message from Dr. Emma Woodward.  Emma is a Child, Educational and Community and spoke at the Positive Education New Zealand 2019 Conference.

Anxious feelings can include:

•          Fear

•          Dread

•          Apprehension

•          Worry

•          Nervousness

•          Unease

•          Tension

What we might see:

•          Anger / hostility

•          Excessive questioning

•          Seeking validation

•          Physical symptoms, e.g. stomach ache, headache, restlessness, irritability

•          Avoidance

•          Difficulty with sleep

•          Trouble with focusing, inattention

•          Heightened emotions/meltdowns

•          Running away / hiding

•          Clinginess

•          Crying

•          Refusing to go to school/emotionally based school avoidance

“Build resilience and develop self-regulation as both intervention and prevention for anxiety”

So what can we do?

• Build resilience

• Teach emotional regulation skills

Resilience: Having the knowledge and courage to deal with adversity

The knowledge builds the courage, that in turn feeds the learning of new knowledge

Understand the concept of co-regulation

Co-regulation is defined as: “warm and responsive interactions that provide the support, coaching and modelling that children need in order to understand, express and modulate their thoughts, feelings and behaviours”.

Remind children of their previous successes. Be the advocate that reminds them that they are capable and why…

Explicitly teach about emotions & emotional regulation skills

1. Talk about emotions, data, tough but transient

2. Talk about the link between our thoughts, emotions and behaviours

3. Name it to tame it

4. Talk about the tough stuff and how it can be overcome

5. Don’t assume that emotional regulation is a set skill – it’s a life long practice

Four ways to help a child to regulate

1. Somatosensory - Grounding

Notice FIVE things you see around you.

Notice FOUR things you can touch around you. 3: Notice THREE things you hear.

Notice TWO things you can smell.

Notice ONE thing you can taste.

2. Reassurance

“This might feel big now but we can face it together”

“I’m here to help”

“I know you can do this as I’ve seen you work things through before”

“You're okay, I’m here with you”

“You're not in trouble”

3. Relational

Try to understand what is going on by....

✓         Reflective listening

✓         Clarifying questions

✓         Showing empathy

4. Disassociation

•          Safe Space

•          Regular checks

•          Talk later