Why is it that we are often wide awake in the middle of the night, solving the world’s problems? Many people’s sleep is disrupted when they are anxious, stress or worried. Luckily, this is something that is easily solved.
My child doesn't want to go to school.
I have been a primary school teacher for 16 years and a mother for 9. I know full well how difficult it can be for children to separate from their parents at the beginning of a school day. As a parent, I know just how upsetting it is to have to leave them when they don’t want you to go, however, as a teacher I can assure you that 99% of the time they are fine within minutes. That doesn’t stop the worrying though! Here are a few suggestions of ways to make the transition easier for everyone involved.
How can I help my anxious child?
Anxiety has three different parts to it, the first being the anxious thoughts: “What if they don’t like me?”, “Will I embarrass myself?”, “Is there a monster under the bed?”, “Will I get it wrong?”, “This may make me ill.” As adults, we try to help by talking about their worries and/or downplaying these thoughts; telling our children it will all be ok, there are no monsters and so on. Often we try to make it better by saying things like, “Don’t be silly, everyone will like you because…” We have the best intentions, but is it actually helping?
