Dear Readers,

School has been in progress for months now and many anxious children are struggling to survive throughout their school day until 3:00pm. And no matter what the cause of the anxiety that could include: separation anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, generalized anxiety or test anxiety, the effects on the child are the same—having to deal with distressing physical and emotional symptoms such as:

1. pounding heartbeat
2. nausea, stomachache, vomiting, diarrhea
3. headache & dizziness
4. numbness in limbs & chest pains
5. feeling overwhelmed & out of control
6. helplessness and wanting to flee
7. feeling shame, alone & isolated
8. feeling panicked

Imagine your child sitting in a classroom (feeling trapped)  trying to listen to the teacher, answer a question, or take a test when his or her mind and body is in turmoil. Many children go into survival mode by shutting down in class. Others do flee to the nurse's office or develop school refusal. Giving your child the tools to cope with anxiety will build the confidence your child needs to take control of anxiety and thrive in school.

I first learned about the technique of "floating" in the 1970's when I read the works of Dr. Claire Weekes, who pioneered cures for anxiety, panic and agoraphobia. Floating is an important tool for overcoming anxiety and in my book, "Overcoming School Anxiety" I devote an entire chapter to the technique. I've taught it to hundreds of anxious clients and have successfully used the technique myself over the years to combat my own anxiety and panic. I still rely on "floating" to help me to get through take-offs and landings when I fly. It works!!

Floating is easy to learn, but it takes lots of practice to have it work quickly, on command. Essentially, it is going against instinct, going against the alarm that is set off by your child's brain screaming that there is !Danger! !Danger! !Get Out! !Run!
Instead, by your child learning how to loosen his or her body and ride the panic out, to float through the symptoms, not fight them, eventually anxiety will lose its power and with time decrease.

Pairing "floating" with guided imagery, such as helping  your child imagine floating in the water on a wave above the symptoms, and teaching your child how to make his or her  body loose and limp like a piece of cooked spaghetti, aids the technique.

Readers, I would love to hear your comments and answer your questions.

Warm regards,
Diane