Psychology Offers You 4 Ways To Treat Fear In A Child
In this article, you will find some ways to help you treat fear in a child with kindness and respect.
A child should never be forced to confront anything that frightens them before they are ready.
Every fear deserves acceptance and respect, so that the child feels entitled to fear. Even if you don't know what scares him, don't deny his emotions and feelings, but acknowledge them: "I was afraid of the clown, I understand, because it's the first time I've seen him."
6)List our own experiences
After listening to your child and helping him find his own way to overcome his fear, we can tell him about our own experiences and how we were able to overcome them. He is reassured when he knows that everyone is afraid! Tell him about your fears frankly, but of course those that do not concern him and/or that he cannot feel. !Don't make it worse
7)Answer the questions logically
You can help your child "understand his fear." He may need to get logical answers to what he doesn't know, and doesn't understand, which is the reason for his fear.. Although 'Lu' used to love playing in the garden, now she no longer wants to go to it because she is afraid of the "black" monsters. After listening to her describe these monsters, we understood that the reason for her fear was the shadows of the trees. So we explained this phenomenon to her by playing with a flashlight and some small objects that she could move to create shadows in her room in the evening... She quickly overcame her fear and went back to playing outside without feeling afraid.
Do not hesitate to use several means when answering your children's questions : books that deal with fear, an exhibition, various games...
Little pretty daughter hugging her mother, bad dream, children phobias and fears
8)Find ideas and ways to overcome his fear
We should not give him our opinion directly. Let him present his ideas to you without judging them. While “looking for solutions”, your child will surprise you with his ability to think and imagine. Provide guidance by evaluating the solutions mentioned with him.
Leo was afraid to go to the third grade at his new school on the first day: “This morning it scares me, I'm afraid I won't find a friend when everyone knows each other!” After listening to his concernsWhat can help him overcome his fear? Several thoughts came to him: “I'm not going to school!” He must face the problem… “You can stay with me for a while and help me find a friend before I go back to class”, “I will try to find another boy like me who doesn’t know anyone here” “All I will do is take my ball and offer to play football with me! I'm sure I'll have a lot of friends!" After exchanging talk and shy smiles with his future comrades, Leo began playing ball with many of his classmates! Delighted and excited to learn the details of his new friendships, we meet at 4:30: “You know, if you want me to have friends, I have to stay at kindergarten for a while! Well, see you tomorrow Gabrielle, Capucine, Antoine, Mathieu, Thomas… “Bye Leo!!!” His morning dread is just a memory...
If the solution chosen by the child does not work or is not sufficient to help him overcome his fear, you can discuss the situation together and start looking for ideas again.
9)Praising the stage that the child was able to overcome
For example, you can tell your child that you are proud of him because he is growing and understanding his surroundings better. We can also encourage him by reminding him of his success in overcoming his fear and controlling his feelings by finding solutions on his own.
“Leo, I noticed this morning that even though you were feeling intimidated, you went up to Matthew and offered to play football with you. You did a very brave thing. See how you made so many kids want to play with you. It was a good idea to take the ball with you! As you get older, you will learn to control your emotions more and more. You should be proud of yourself!"
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