Read the text and state the difference between anxiety, fears and phobias.

Everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, experiences anxieties and fears at one time or another. Anxieties can prepare young people to handle the unsettling experiences and challenging situations of life.

Anxiety is defined as " apprehension without apparent cause." It usually occurs when there’s no immediate threat to a person’s safety or well being, but the threat feels real. Anxiety makes a person want to escape the situation fast. The heart beats quickly and the body might begin to perspire. However, a little bit of anxiety can actually help people stay alert and focused.

Having fears or anxieties about certain things can also be helpful because it makes kids behave in a safe way. For example, a kid with a fear of fire would avoid playing with matches.

The nature of anxieties and fears change as children grow and develop:

· Babies experience stranger anxiety, clinging to parents when confronted by people they don’t recognize.

· Toddlers around 10 to 18 months experience separation anxiety, becoming emotionally distressed when one or both parents leave.

· Children ages 4 through 6 have anxiety about things that aren’t based in reality such as fears of monsters and ghosts.

· Kids ages 7 through 12 often have fears that reflect real circumstances that may happen to them, such as bodily injury and natural disaster.

As a child grows, one fear may disappear or replace another. For example, a child who couldn’t sleep with the light off at age 5 may enjoy a ghost story years later.

Signs of anxiety. Typical childhood fears change with age. They include fear of strangers, heights, darkness, animals, blood, insects, and being left alone. Children often learn to fear a specific object or situation after an unpleasant experience, such as a dog bite or an accident.

Separation anxiety is common when young children are starting school, whereas adolescents may experience anxiety related to social acceptance and academic achievement.

Many adults are tormented by fears that stem from childhood experiences. An adult’s fear of public speaking may be the result of embarrassment in front of peers many years before. Or, a parent who was bitten by a dog as a child may consciously (or unconsciously) recognize and identify the signs and symptoms of their children’s anxieties.

Some signs that a child may be anxious about something may include:

· becoming clingy, impulsive, or distracted

· nervous movements, such as temporary twitches

· problems getting to sleep and/or staying asleep longer than usual

· sweaty hands

· accelerated heart rate and breathing

· nausea

· headaches

· stomachaches

Apart from these signs, parents can usually tell when their child is feeling excessively uneasy about something. Sometimes just talking about the fear can help the child.

What`s a phobia? When anxieties and fears persist, problems can arise. The anxiety becomes a phobia, or a fear that’s extreme, severe, and persistent.

A phobia can be very difficult to tolerate, both for kids and those around them, especially if the anxiety-producing stimulus is hard to avoid (e.g. thunderstorms).

" Real" phobias are one of the top reasons why children are referred to mental health professionals. But the good news is that unless a child’s phobia hinders his or her everyday ability to function, the child sometimes won’t need treatment by a professional because, in time, the phobia will be resolved.

Is the child’s fear and the behavior typical for his age? If the answer to this question is yes, the child’s fears will resolve before they become a serious cause for concern. This doesn`t mean that the anxiety should be ignored; rather, it should be considered.

Many children experience age fears, such as being afraid of the dark. Most kids, with some reassurance, and perhaps a night-light, will overcome it. However, if they continue to have trouble, or there’s anxiety about other things, the intervention must more intensive.

How to help the child. Parents can help children develop the skills and confidence to overcome fears. Here are some steps that may help the child deal with his or her fears and anxieties:

· Recognize that the fear is real and causes him or her to feel anxious and afraid. Talk about fears helps. If you talk about it, it can become less powerful.

· Never belittle the fear. Telling your child, " Don’t be ridiculous! There are no monsters in your closet! " may get your child to go to bed, but it won’t make the fear go away.

· Don’t cater to fears, though. If your child doesn’t like dogs, don’t cross the street deliberately to avoid one. This will just reinforce that dogs should be feared and avoided. Provide support and gentle care as you approach the feared object or situation with your child.

· Teach your child how to rate fear. If your child can visualize the intensity of the fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, he or she may be able to " see" the fear as less intense than first imagined. Younger children can think about how " full of fear" they are, with being full " up to my knees" as not so scared, " up to my stomach" as more frightened, and " up to my head" as truly petrified.

· Teach coping strategies. Try these easy-to-implement techniques. Using you as " home base, " the child can venture out toward the feared object, and then return to you for safety before venturing out again. The child can also learn some positive self-statements, such as " I can do this" and " I will be OK, " which your child can say to himself or herself when feeling anxious.

Relaxation techniques are helpful as well, including visualization (of floating on a cloud or lying on a beach, for example) and deep breathing (imagining that the lungs are balloons and letting them slowly deflate).

The key to resolving fears and anxieties is to overcome them. Using these suggestions, you can help the child better cope with life’s situations.