How to help children overcome their fears

In the process of growth and development, children not only need to develop healthy physical qualities, but also their mental health is very important. If children have psychological fears or other psychological problems, if they are not corrected or helped in time, it will have a great impact on their future life. Therefore, as parents, we must always pay attention to the physical and mental health of our children. So, what are the manifestations of children's fear? In order to help parents discover children's fear as soon as possible, let's take a look at the detailed introduction below.

What are the manifestations of fear in children?

Although children's fear is a psychological activity, it can be manifested in every move of the child. This requires parents to discover. If parents do not observe carefully and always leave their children to the elderly, it is easy for the children's fear to become more and more serious, affecting the children's future. So, what are the manifestations of children's fear? The main manifestations are as follows:

1. When a child is afraid, he or she will become nervous, mainly manifested by rapid breathing. The heartbeat will accelerate, the expression will become tense or even ferocious, and at this time, the child's pupils will dilate and his hands will tremble.

2. Children with childhood phobias will usually show signs of retreat, screaming, panic, seeking help, pain, confrontation, escape, etc. This is most obvious when the child is sick or receiving treatment.

3. Severe fear in children may also manifest as pale complexion, limb weakness, temporary incontinence, etc.

How do parents deal with children's fear?

First of all, we need to quickly determine whether the child’s fear is within the normal range, that is, whether it is a normal phenomenon in growth or a hidden psychological illness. It can be measured based on the following characteristics: First, is the child's timidity and anxiety only directed at a certain thing or phenomenon? Second, is the child's fear relatively short-lived, rarely exceeding three or four weeks? Third, when seeing the feared thing or phenomenon, does the child act indifferent? Fourth, when leaving the frightening situation, will the child's fear reaction disappear and quickly become happy? If the answer to all four questions above is "yes", it means that the child's fear is a normal phenomenon in the development process and parents do not need to worry too much.

Secondly, understand and comfort the child from his perspective. Don’t simply blame your child for being timid and label him or her as a coward. When children are too young to express themselves, parents' hugging, patting and gentle comforting can reduce their fear. When children learn to express themselves, encouraging them to express their fears specifically and parents listening patiently can be an excellent way to release their fears.

Third, avoid two extreme reactions: one is to be overly anxious about the child’s fear, and the other is to be indifferent to his or her fear. The former reaction will reinforce the child's fear of specific scenes, which will be difficult to overcome or eliminate in the future; the latter reaction will miss the opportunity to diagnose and treat the child. If the child's fear is abnormal and normal comfort cannot relieve it, it is best to seek treatment from a professional doctor as soon as possible.

In short, for different children’s fears, parents should prescribe the right medicine and find the cause first.

Here are some ways to help your child overcome his or her fears:

During the process of growth and development, fear of certain people, things, and situations may affect the child's physical and mental health over time. Children's minds are particularly tender and they are easily frustrated. If parents discover their children's psychological changes in time and comfort them in time, they can help protect their children's psychology from harm.

Correcting children's fear is actually training their courage. Rewards can be used as a supplement during training.

1. The easiest way to overcome children’s fear in daily life is emotional communication. American psychologist Kent said: "It is very important to maintain a harmonious family atmosphere so that children can communicate with you freely. Never ridicule or scare children, but encourage and support them."

2. Don’t blame your child too much. When children do something wrong, you can take advantage of the fear they feel after doing something wrong to educate and guide them on what is the right thing to do. It not only points out the harm of mistakes, but also shows adults' tolerance towards children, making children feel that criticism is also out of love for them, and thus they will not develop a fear mentality.

3. Don’t be inconsistent in your demands on your children. If you ask a child to do this sometimes and that sometimes, he or she will be at a loss and don't know what to do. He or she will be blamed whether he or she does the right thing or the wrong thing, so he or she will develop a fear. Therefore, adults' requirements for children should be standardized and consistent.

4. Avoid spoiling your children. Over-loving and over-protecting children will deprive them of the opportunity to exercise their courage. Surveys show that spoiled children are mostly timid, dependent and lack self-confidence.

5. Parents should not be moody towards their children. Some parents often vent their good or bad emotions on their children. This will make the children afraid of their parents, afraid that their parents will lose their temper for no reason, afraid that they will be punished, etc. They will be restless and timid all day long, and show fear, suspicion, and sensitivity. Therefore, parents should be good at controlling their emotions and not use their children as punching bags.

It can be seen that there are many manifestations of children's fear. Once parents find these manifestations, they should pay attention to them in time and relieve the psychological pressure of children with the help of family members to help children grow up healthily. If they need help from teachers or doctors, parents should also seek help from others and not let their children's fear develop.