In a clinical form, pediatric separation anxiety can completely disrupt a parent's ability to get out of their child's sight. To some degree, most children do experience mild forms of anxiety when they are separated from their primary caregiver. However, these moments of distress in a normal situation tend to be brief and easily overcome–and are oftentimes associated with a certain age or maturity level. But for a child who truly suffers with separation anxiety, symptoms of distress can be ongoing and extremely hard for parents to deal with. If you have a child who struggles with separation anxiety, there may be a few things you can do to help in your day-to-day life.
Work to create a familiar daily schedule your child can rely on.
In some cases, separation anxiety in children will stem from them not knowing what to expect, such as not knowing how long you will be away from them for work or not being able to judge when you will pick them up from school. To help alleviate the problem, it is a good idea to create a good daily routine and stick with it, even if it means you have to make some adjustments like
Make sure you consistently remind your child that you have always returned to them.
In some cases, your child who is suffering from separation anxiety simply needs to be reassured that you will be back after you leave their sight. The easiest way to offer reassurance on a consistent basis is to be reliable, but also by reminding your child of all of the times you have had to leave them and returned soon after.
Eliminate non-constructive criticism of your child's anxious behaviors.
Punishing your child because they give you a hard time due to their anxiety does not solve anything about the situation. In fact, scolding and complaining may actually just make their anxiety worse. Instead, focus on pulling your child away from the thoughts that are making them anxious about you leaving. This can be accomplished by allowing more time in your daily schedule to discuss things like fun activities they can look forward to at school, or daycare, or even upcoming plans for when you pick them up.
To learn more, talk to companies like The A Treatment Center.
Share3 August 2017
From the time I was born to the time I graduated high school, my parents were very overprotective of me and shielded me from all of the "bad" things in the world. When I decided to go to college out of state, they wanted me to stay closer to home, but gave into my wishes eventually. Once I got settled at college, I realized just how attached I was to my parents. I began to feel so homesick that I almost quit before the first semester ended. I decided to visit a counselor to see if she could help me get through the semester, and after just a couple of visits, I began actually enjoying my time away from home. I know there are others in tough situations like I was who need guidance, so I decided to start a blog to share my tips for coping with stressful situations.
