Transitional Anxiety"
Does your child worry a lot?
Does your child get upset when things are out of place or don’t go as planned?
Does your child throw tantrums or become defiant when asked to transition from one activity to the next?
If you answered “yes,” then it sounds like your child may be experiencing some transitional anxiety and…
…WE CAN HELP NOW!
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is neither good nor bad. It is simply one of many emotions that we can have.
Anxiety is the body speeding up. The hear rate, blood flow, and breath increase. Anxiety also creates a decrease in saliva production causing dry mouth and upset stomach and an overall increased tension in the muscles.
What is transitional anxiety?
Transitional anxiety is apprehensive uneasiness sometimes associated with daily transitions.
Transitions are the times between scheduled activities such as; going outside to play or coming inside for another scheduled activity, cleaning up after an activity, going to sleep, waiting for lunch, or going to the restroom.
Some common symptoms of transitional anxiety can include:
- Overall resistance to change
- Difficulty completing tasks
- Appear to be slow to motivate
- Difficulty leaving a specific environment (the house, playground, assigned seat, car or school bus)
- Often the last one done with a task
Remember, change is hard!
Change is stressful. We are all creatures of habit.
Some of us put on a T-shirt head first, while others go arms first. We tend to drive the same way to work. We argue the same way using the same tactics whether they work or not.
It’s much easier to do the same thing instead of doing something new. For some children, this is more the case than with others.
What can you do?
Whenever possible, use transitional activities to prepare, reassure, and redirect anxiety.
Transitional activities are specifically designed to decrease anxiety by increasing predictability, redirecting anxious emotions, and increasing anxiety managing routines.
You all know that annoying clean up song,
“Clean up, clean up, everybody help.”
You know as well as I do that as annoying as the song is, it sure does help redirect your child’s anxiety over moving from one activity to the next. It redirects anxious emotions by using an anxiety managing routine.
Some other examples of transitional activities can include:
- Dramatic actions (marching, hopping, yoga sitting, & holding a bubble in your mouth)
- Relaxation techniques (deep breathing)
- Role-playing and practicing the transition before it happens
Transitional activities can make the difference between a smooth, happy day and a hectic, chaotic day!
For more information and additional training on transitional anxiety…
… CALL OR E-MAIL US NOW FOR MORE INFORMATION!