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Anxiety and Mental Health Resources for Families

Anxiety and Mental Health

Anxiety is a developmentally inappropriate fear of an anticipated future threat.  There are several anxiety disorders that differ from one another in the types of objects or situations that induce fear, anxiety, or avoidance behaviour, and the associated thoughts.  

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It is normal for students to demonstrate developmentally appropriate symptoms of anxiety or to be anxious in response to certain situations or anticipated future threats.  A good article to help differentiate between the two is: Understood: The Difference Between Typical Anxiety and an Anxiety Problem

Understanding Anxiety Webinar for HCOS parents by Julie Bohni (Counsellor)

Wired for Connection Webinar for HCOS parents by Julie Bohni (Counsellor)

BC SupportResource Websites:

 Talk to a Person Websites
Free Counselling

Books on Stress & Anxiety for Students:

  • Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
  • Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook
  • David and the Worry Beast by Anne Marie Guanci
  • When My Worries Get Too Big by Kari dunn Buron (uses 5 point scale)
  • What to Do When You Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner
  • What to Do When You're Scared and Worried by James J. Crist
  • Stress can Really Get on your Nerves by Trevor Romain
  • Workbooks:
    • I Feel Worried by Nadine Briggs and Donna Shea
    • Coping Skills for Kids Workbook by Janine Halloran

Courses for Kids on Managing their Anxiety

Treatment Options & Strategies for Anxiety:

Resources on Anxiety for Parents and Teachers:

HCOS Learning Commons Books and Book Packs on Anxiety:

Curated list of Anxiety and Worry resources on SORA - digital books, audio books

  • Understanding Intense Emotions and Strong Feelings Pack
  • Helping your Anxious child & Squirmy Wormy Pack
  • My Feelings Game
  • Taming the Worry Dragons for Teens
  • The Explosive child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
  • Taming Worry Dragons Kit
  • Freeing your child From Anxiety Pack
  • Turnaround: Turning Fear Into Freedom
  • Anger and Anxiety Management Kit
  • No More Meltdowns Pack 
  • Rosie's Brain 
  • Ish by Peter H Reynolds
  • Frankie Rides a Bike by Paulette Bourgeois
  • The things Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashly Spires
  • Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henke

Tools to Relax, Manage Anxiety, Get Grounded

 

  • 5 senses:
    • Look at something - Be present
    • Feel something -
      • Squeeze your arms (deep pressure)
      • Cross your arms and tap them, 
      • Use your tongue to put pressure on the roof of your mouth, hum, sing, have a hot cup of tea, or a very cold drink
      • Progressive muscle relaxation - tighten muscles, hold and release
    • Smell something - Aromatherapy, essential oils
    • Taste something - an orange tic tac, a mint, food - slow down and be intentional when eating
    • Listen to something - music, particularly in the 70-90 beats a minute range
  • Name 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 
    • 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, 3 you can feel, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste
  • Create a sense of power and control
    • "I can choose when to wake up, what to eat, how to exercise, to feel competent"
  • General
    • Continue to have or build a structure, routine
    • Limit intake of [negative] information
    • Pray, read your Bible, ground, breathe
    • Build skill/competence
    • Connect with others, yourself, God
    • Exercise
    •  Be in nature
    • Take thoughts captive - "Right now..." rather than "What if..."
    • Breath: Belly Breath with Elmo; Bubbles with Fish, Mindful breathing,Cocoa Breathing
    • Toss a ball between two people is co-regulating and access the parasympathetic system

HCOS Publications on Mental Health:

6 minute video about Anxiety by Marcia Mishchenko, LS consultant

When Anxiety/Mental Health is related to Learning Disabilities

When it is more than Anxiety

The goal at HCOS is to promote healthy development, prevent disorders and provide treatment to those children with disorders. (Child and Youth Mental Disorders: Prevalence and Evidence-Based Intervention, pg 11)

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Self-Care 

Starting with yourself. What are you modelling?

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