Fear in Children

Fear, like other emotions, arises in response to specific stimuli in individuals. In essence, fear becomes active when an internal or external threat jeopardizes an individual, aiding in taking necessary actions for self-protection.

Various factors contribute to fear in different stages of childhood, often considered part of the evolutionary process. However, when fear becomes intense and uncontrollable, considering strategies for its management becomes crucial.

Parents impart valuable lessons to their children, teaching them to fear certain dangers like fire or crossing streets and promoting caution. Having a degree of anxiety is not only essential for children but also a survival condition for adults, ensuring the continuation of life and keeping individuals away from accidents and hazards. Yet, if fear surpasses a certain limit, it hinders individuals from carrying out daily tasks, necessitating intervention for its treatment.

Unnatural fears persist permanently in a child’s mind, occupying it entirely for an extended duration, disrupting their normal activities, and exerting a profound impact.

Fear, worry, and anxiety bear a striking resemblance, essentially forming a family within our emotions. It can be said that fear and worry represent different facets of anxiety. However, despite their similarities, they exhibit significant differences. In a way, anxiety is our response to perceived threats in our minds, while fear is our reaction to real dangers.

 

 

 

Children of various ages naturally experience fear when confronted with certain subjects. Issues such as separation from parents, the loss of a loved one, darkness, loud noises, and the judgment of others can evoke intense anxiety in them. These fears might not hold meaning for you, but for children, they are entirely real. Therefore, never disregard their concerns. Instead, use approaches like play, expressing empathy through conversation, providing comprehensive information, teaching necessary skills, and avoiding excessive support to help alleviate your child’s fears.

 

 

Some Strategies for Coping with Fear

• Assist your child in discussing what scares them. It’s crucial to understand your child’s fears. For instance, if your child expresses anxiety about going to school, avoid reproach. Instead, say, “I understand you’re anxious about going to school. How can I help?”
• Refrain from being a reproachful parent. Tell your children it’s okay to be afraid. Unconscious parental pressures for success in school and sports often lead to increased anxiety in children. Teach your child that being fearful is normal and encourage efforts to overcome those fears. Accept your child’s mistakes and imperfections.

 

 

If your child fails an exam, don’t blame them. Instead, say, “It’s okay; we learn from our mistakes.” The best approach after any setback in life is to learn from your mistakes.

• Prepare your child for stressful events. If you know a frightening event is approaching in your child’s life, the best approach to address their fears is by talking to them and getting them ready for the upcoming event. This method can aid in reducing fear and anxiety, as children fully understand what to expect.

For instance, if your family is moving to a new city, this can be highly stressful for your child. Discuss this change with your child, providing a thorough explanation of the reasons behind it.

 

• Respond appropriately to your own fears. Children mimic their parents’ behavior. Avoiding stressful situations will lead your child to do the same, while facing your own fears will encourage them to do so as well. Strive to be a positive role model for your child in confronting fear and anxiety.

 

 

• Don’t instill fear of God in children. Childhood is the time to recognize the beauty, greatness, and majesty of the divine. It’s best for parents to speak to children about God’s kindness, mercy, and beauty, rather than causing them to fear God’s reprimand or anger. Some parents instill fear of God in their children to raise them as devout believers, claiming that disobedience to parents will lead to divine punishment in hell.

 

• Avoid exposing children to scary situations. Watching unrestricted scary movies, being in frightening places, or reading terrifying books can intensify your child’s fears. Especially during the summer, when many children watch animations and movies indoors, it’s advisable for parents to be strict, implement restrictive rules, and prevent the emergence of deep-rooted and lasting fears. Occasionally, reading a scary book or watching a scary movie can spark extensive and frightening imagination in a child, escalating over time.

 

 

 

Your restraint and control in this regard prevent fear from developing in your child and help them experience a fearless early childhood.

 

 

• Stay calm. Children observe how parents react to stressful and frightening situations. If your child falls, they look at you to see how you respond. If your child struggles with issues causing fear and anxiety, you must be able to manage stressful situations yourself.
• Therapeutic play is a novel treatment method for children. Since children may not be capable of examining their emotions and, in some cases, can’t express their problems to family or other adults like their teachers, this therapeutic approach proves highly effective. Therapeutic play may seem like an ordinary game, but it goes far beyond just a game.

 

A trained therapeutic player can assess children’s issues during play, help them discover their feelings, and cope with unresolved issues such as fear.

The reason for children’s fear and anxiety lies in the subconscious memory, meaning they don’t know why they fear certain things. Therapeutic play helps identify the primary causes of children’s fears and provides consolation without needing to know the reasons for their distress.

Therapeutic play aids children in expressing their concerns and anxieties, leading them to examine their fears and break free from them.

 

 

 

Children can practice different ways of living through therapeutic play, eliminating their fears and anxieties and providing them with a sense of power, strength, and control. Kids reveal their anxieties through play, and with the help of a therapist, they can gain mastery over their fears.

 

• If your child struggles with their fears, it’s essential to seek a professional child counselor. Cognitive-behavioral therapy aids in treating fear and anxiety in children. This therapy focuses on teaching children to identify and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

Children learn to differentiate between realistic and unrealistic thoughts. Child psychologists typically provide cognitive approaches to cope with children’s fears in both home and school environments. These therapists also consider how parents can assist their children in managing stressful situations.

 

Reasons for Children’s Fears

Parental Anxiety

If one or both parents are anxious, the child learns this trait by observing their behavior.

 

Overprotective Parenting

Helicopter parents, who overly monitor their children, create dependency. Dependent children feel powerless when away from parents, leading to pervasive anxiety disorders. In such disorders, a child is excessively and irrationally anxious.

 

Anxiety-Provoking Events

Events like parental separation or serious family illnesses can subject a child to chronic anxiety.

However, the crucial point in dealing with a child’s fear in these situations is the responsive behavior exhibited by caregivers or childcare providers.

In general, many children experience stress and anxiety, evident in states like fear, worry, or nervousness. The causes of anxiety can be specific, such as separation from parents or concerns about interactions with others, or medical visits. However, the reasons for having anxiety can change over time, and parental awareness in this area can assist children.

 

Final note

fear is a natural sensation in children that can arise for various reasons. Some childhood fears, like fear of darkness, animals, or heights, are natural and tend to dissipate over time. However, other fears can be intense and uncontrollable, negatively impacting a child’s life.

If you’re concerned about your child’s fear, the first step is to identify its cause. Once the cause is identified, maintain your composure.

You can assist your child by employing strategies such as avoiding scolding, discussing their fear, engaging in therapeutic play, and exploring other discussed solutions in the article.

 

For severe and uncontrollable fears in your child, seeking the help of a child counselor can be beneficial. A child counselor can aid your child in understanding the root of their fear and overcoming it through therapeutic techniques.

 

The Department of Psychology at Dr. Madicoo, equipped with experienced child counselors, can assist you in treating your child’s fear. To schedule a counseling session and initiate your therapeutic journey, simply contact us through the provided link.