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I would like for this site to be a place for resources and support for parents raising children with social anxiety or any other mood and anxiety disorders. Raising children is always challenging but when you put into the mix feelings of anxiety, depression and fear it sometimes makes it difficult to figure out whether or not you're doing what`s right for your child. I would love to hear your comments. Please consider this site to be a gateway of unconditional understanding. I am raising a daughter who has struggled with social anxiety for a number of years now, and I find that expressing both my joyful and tearful times is a way of healing and comfort. I also want to raise awareness and understanding for those people who think that anxiety is all about defiant behaviour and beligerance, when really it's about a condition that is debilitating and terrifying. One by one, voice by voice we can help these wonderful children reach their full potential, we just can't always do it on our own.


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How You Can Reduce Your Anxiety With Exercise

admin March 8th, 2010

I’ve been trying to take Sydney on some walks lately and/or just getting outside. Granted it’s only been in the last couple days that anyone really feels like soaking up the sun and warmer weather but it’s good to keep in mind just how important it is to move. Check out this article about reducing your anxiety with exercise.

How does exercise reduce anxiety?
Although we don’t know exactly why, it’s believed there are a range of reasons why exercise relieves anxiety and chases away the black clouds of depression:

Distraction - focusing your thoughts on hitting a tennis ball or running around an open manhole prevents you from mulling over your last (probably incorrectly perceived) social calamity. Anxiety is driven by negative thinking. So using your brain more constructively can give your emotions a welcome break.
Biological - exercise safely releases stored up adrenaline, which is what causes you to sweat or feel sick when you’re anxious. This means you’ll feel more relaxed and less on edge after you’ve finished your run.

Read the full article

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Quote

admin March 3rd, 2010

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
Quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger

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1-2-3 Strategy

admin February 21st, 2010

In one of my posts from October 1st, 2009 “It’s not only the time that is falling back” I spoke about a new strategy that we were using in order to help Sydney understand that there is only a certain amount of time in which to complete her school work. What was happening was that she waited and waited until the very last minute to start her work and it would end up having to come home. Now considering she is on an IEP it seems a little overwhelming to be in school for almost 7 hours a day and then have to come home to sometimes 2 hours worth of homework. It wasn’t working for anyone. So in an order to help her along with the challenge the teacher put 1-2-3 stickers on her desk. She would let the class know that it was time to do the work and if after a couple minutes Sydney hadn’t pick up her pencil and started the number 1 would be taken away. She would go away and after a few minutes the number 2 would be taken away if nothing was done. Then after a few more minutes the number 3 would be taken away and in the end the unfinished work would come home. It was a small reminder to Sydney that she had to at least try.

At home this strategy was met with a lot of encouragement that she just needed to try. Her biggest hurdle was thinking that everything had to be done perfectly and correctly. As well, she was rewarded for a day of “NO homework”. We started with a little treasure box full of neat little dollar store items. Of course this then prompted her bigger brother to wonder why he doesn’t get a treasure box. Each day she would come home with no homework she would get a little treat and lots of hugs and kisses.

Well, I have a follow up to the whole 1-2-3 idea. I’ve had some people comment that this tactic seems more discouraging than encouraging. In the end it worked and the best part is it was Sydney who started the ball rolling. I’d like to share with you the email correspondance that I’ve had with the teacher because it is just downright AMAZING. This is what can happen when we have educators that are willing to work with children who just need that extra little bit of support. My hat goes off to our teacher because she recognizes just how valueable this step is in Sydney’s life.

Good afternoon,

This afternoon, during DEAR period 5, Sydney came over to my desk and told me that she didn’t need her 1,2,3 reminder on her desk anymore. I was so surprised that she came to tell me out of the blue that we immediately ripped it off - Sydney ripping most of it off and put it in the garbage! Sydney threw it out and everything and on her way to the garbage she told a classmate that it was on her desk and she didn’t need it anymore! I had thought we were done with it before Christmas but kept it so that in case of a relapse, we would have it to fall back on. I had just not gotten around to taking it away but I am glad that I left it and Sydney felt that it should go herself!!

Just thought you should know!

To make this event that much better I did not discover this via the teacher, oh no in fact Sydney herself was the one to share the news and this is how it went.

My response to the teacher’s email:

Sydney told me all about it after school before I even got your email. I was so proud of her and boy oh boy was she ever proud of herself. The best was that one of the children I watch before and after school were over yesterday and the two of them were sitting at the kitchen table playing a game. Sydney said out of the blue, “I can’t believe I don’t have the 1-2-3 on my desk anymore!” The little guy responded, “What’s a 1-2-3?” Sydney went into full explanation of what it was, “Well before I was shy and I had trouble doing my work so my teacher put three stickers on my desk the 1-2-3 stickers. It helped me figure out how much time I had left to do my work. So my teacher would put the work on my desk and walk away for a little bit. She would come back and if I didn’t start anything she would take the one away. Then go back to her desk and after a couple minutes she would come back and if I didn’t start yet she’d take the 2 away. Then if she came back again and I wasn’t started she would take the three away and then I’d have to do it at home for homework. I decided that I should at least try and do it and maybe even if I got it wrong she would still be happy with me. I am so happy that I don’t have it on my desk anymore. We threw it in the garbage for good.” The little boy just looked at her and said, “Wow, that’s really cool”. The pride on her face was just wonderful. Yeh! I told her as well, “Mommy and Daddy are super proud of you. We knew you could do it, we know you have it within you to do anything you put your mind too. But beyond that are you proud of yourself because you are the one that matters the most?” She looked at me and smiled the most heartfelt, warm, beaming smile and said, “Yes, I am so proud of myself”.

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University of Regina seeking participants for anxiety study

admin February 17th, 2010

REGINA — Researchers at the University of Regina want to meet people who feel extremely anxious in a variety of situations — at parties, public speaking or even sitting on a bus.

Kelsey Collimore, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the U of R, is recruiting participants for a study investigating anxiety in social situations — any situation where more than one person is present.

Anxiety can be experienced in degrees — from mild distress to extreme discomfort — and can result in different physiological sensations, Collimore said.

Anyone interested in participating can call the Anxiety and Illness Behaviours Laboratory at 337-2473 or e-mail (anxiety@uregina.ca).

Individuals will be asked a few questions about their health to determine if they are eligible to take part in the study. If so, they will complete an online questionnaire at home that is expected to take between 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Read the full article

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Paul Latimer: Social anxiety disorder starts in childhood

admin February 16th, 2010

Most people with social anxiety will report having been this way as long as they can remember. The childhood equivalent seems to be behavioural inhibition, which is characterized by an elevated fear response to both social and non-social novelty and social reticence by school age. Extreme childhood inhibition is relatively enduring and heritable. It may represent a marker for later Social Anxiety Disorder.

Read the full article

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Parents for children’s mental health

admin February 13th, 2010

Parents for Children’s Mental Health is pleased to present the
6th Annual
Parent to Parent
Conference
Friday April 30th, 2010
and Saturday, May 1, 2010

LOCATION: Novotel Hotel Mississauga
3670 Hurontario Street
905-896-1000
(special rates available when booking for conference)
Friday evening 6 p.m.
Friday evening ‘Mental Illness and the Arts’
and reception
Keynote address by Gayle Grass, author of Iris the Dragon Series
Special guests and special performance from Tara-Jean and Vincent
from CTV’s So You Think You Can Dance Canada who will showcase
their dance depicting mental illness choreographed by Stacey
Tookey. Tara-Jean was the winner of CTV’s So You Think You Can
Dance Canada this past season.
Saturday, May 1, 2010 (All Day)
Workshops will include: PCMH’s From The Inside Workshop and Training, Child
and Youth Provincial Advocate, Political and Public Advocacy, Raising Children with Mental
Illness, Youth Justice and The Police System, and more to be announced. As well as keynote
addresses to be announced.
Parents Supporting Parents Conference for Child and Youth Mental Health.
With new speakers, and a Friday evening reception,
this year is proving to be another excellent opportunity for networking,
exchanging information and gaining necessary supports we all need.
This year we thank our sponsors -
The Child Development Institute

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There are alternatives

admin February 13th, 2010

I came across this article today and fully admire Steve Pavilanis author of “A Life Less Anxious: Freedom from panic attacks and social anxiety without drugs or therapy.” Recently having been battling my own anxiety demons as well as my daughters I want to get to the root of the issues. Over the years people have said, “why not use drugs?” or “isn’t there something they can give her to help her?”. Sure there are loads of stuff that they can give her but the question is do I want to mask it or work at the root of the issue. I understand completely that at some point there is a need for some type of drugs for certain people but giving my daughter paxil or zoloft was not the way we chose to go. In the end it is really individual circumstance and a one’s own threshold for how much they can handle. All I suggest to anyone out there is seek all of your options. Take a look at this article and see how Steve decided to deal with his anxiety.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) February 9, 2010 — Over 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders, a figure that doesn’t include the bulk of society’s garden-variety worriers . Typical anxiety treatment includes prescribing powerful antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication with many side effects. Patients often complain of dehydration, surreal or out-of-body sensations, sexual insensitivity, weight gain, and extreme drowsiness. “Fortunately, there are many life changes and relaxation techniques that anyone can apply to find relief naturally.” Says Steve Pavilanis, former extreme anxiety sufferer and author of “A Life Less Anxious: Freedom from panic attacks and social anxiety without drugs or therapy.”

Read the full article

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Respite care for those who need it

admin January 26th, 2010

I think one of the hardest parts of raising a child with a disability is the toll it takes on the families. Emotionally, physically and spiritually everyone needs a little help sometimes. I’ve found a great site for those living in the Halton area where the organizations helps to aid caregivers in finding support workers. Take a look:

respiteservices.com consists of agencies funded by the Ministry of Community and Social Services and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. We are collaborating to develop a more dynamic respite network for both children and adults in Halton.

The guiding principles of respiteservices.com are:
1. To develop a comprehensive respite system in Halton.
2. To develop and maintain a coherent access process for families of children and adults requiring respite options.
3. To facilitate respite options for individuals that match their identified needs.
4. To work closely with service providers to advocate for appropriate service options to meet the needs identified.

Respite care is a family support service that provides temporary relief from the physical and emotional demands involved in caring for a family member who has a disability. Respite creates greater opportunities for all family members to live actively and participate in community activities and allows parents/guardians time for themselves.

For more information please go to the Respite Services Website

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Quote

admin January 25th, 2010

Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.
Quote by Alex Tan

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Counselling Directory

admin January 23rd, 2010

One of the things I love about writing this blog is the feedback I get from readers. It is especially gratifying when people write me to ask if they can post information that they have gathered in the hopes that others can benefit. Ahh…the beauty of the internet. Well, today please welcome to the blog a wonderful resource for our friends in the United Kingdom. It is a tool that has taken all the guess work of finding help for your disorders be it social anxiety or bipolar disorder just to name a few. When I first saw this website I was amazed at how much is available. The dedication of the people that have put this together should be commended.

Thank you Catriona for sharing this great wealth of knowledge with others. Please take a look at the Counselling Directory and read how it all came to be.

A few years ago, a friend of ours found herself in a very daunting situation. After struggling with a number of issues and problems, she decided that counselling was a good option for her to help get her life back track. Her initial decision to go for counselling was undoubtedly one of the hardest parts of her entire therapy process, and a very brave one.
However, once she’d decided this, a whole new set of questions arose, and it became apparent that choosing the right counsellor, whilst perhaps not the hardest part of counselling, is undoubtedly one of the most important parts.
There are numerous issues to consider – practical and otherwise. What about, for example, location? Despite counsellors’ assured complete confidentiality people may prefer to see a counsellor that is perhaps outside their local area, but still in surroundings they are comfortable in. Our friend certainly didn’t want to run into anyone she knew, but at the same time needed to know where she was going.
As we were students at the time, money was a paramount issue. There are counsellors that offer reduced rates for students, and the unemployed or those seeking benefits, but how do you find them? No one wants to end up bartering with a counsellor over the price of their mental well being.
And what guarantees that the counsellor is the real deal? There are no laws in the UK that govern counselling, so what’s to stop anyone setting up shop to listen to people’s problems? There are qualifications and professional bodies, but these can often be confusing and over-whelming.
Counselling can take many different approaches – from person-based to psychoanalytic, and it’s important to choose a counsellor with an approach the person will be comfortable with and respond to well.
A daunting situation indeed, and it made us think. What if there was a website that collected all this information, so you could search for your where you live and the surrounding area and find a list of counsellors, with all their information, qualifications, and what areas they cover? Of course, a website like this didn’t exist. So we made one.
Counselling Directory was set up to provide a simple, easy, and most importantly un-daunting way of connecting people that need help with the people that provide it. A comprehensive searching tool, the site allows postcode, town and country searches, and produces a list of counsellors registered in this area. Each counsellor has a profile, listing a bit about themselves, their approaches, what areas they deal with, and all their training, qualification and experience and fees.
The site shows which counsellors are registered/accredited with a professional body, and full profiles are only displayed after insurance and qualification documents are checked or membership with a professional body has been verified.
We hope the site can solve the situation like our friend had. It’s hard enough deciding to undertake counselling, and who wants extra hassle of trying to find a counsellor? The site has also become a huge information bank – there are articles written by the counsellors, as well as comprehensive information on all kinds of distress – from depression to eating disorders to abuse, to help people identify their problems and become informed, not scared.
We’ve heard from many people who have found the site invaluable, reducing the amount of stress and worrying that can contribute to an already difficult enough process.
Please see us at the Counselling Directory

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