Kids Suffer Earthquake Stress Too!

Kids Suffer Earthquake Stress Too

Having grown up in Canada, a very large continent and landmass, earthquakes were something that happened in other parts of the world. Yet, I now find myself in the midst of aftershocks here in the lovely town of Blenheim in New Zealand.

My daughter is 8 years old and can be highly anxious in many situations. We have been pleasantly surprised at how well she has handled this most recent earthquake and the ensuing aftershocks. The reason I am writing this article is because, as I talked to other parents, their children were not so easily recovered by this event. They are feeling upset, nervous and anxious most of the time. Nervous anxious behaviour as a child can lead to future nervous anxious behaviour as an adult. Fears and phobias often begin in childhood and are escalated over the years coming into and through adulthood. In my clinic when I see an adult with a fear or phobia which is out of the ordinary, they can often link this behaviour back to a childhood trauma.

This is the reason why it is so important to help children to overcome the anxious feelings they have during times of trauma.

According to: https://childrensnational.org/~/media/cnhs-site/files/resources/ichoc/earthquake.ashx?la=en

If your child is a pre-schooler the stress of the quake may look like this (AGE 2-6):

• Uncontrollable crying
• Running aimlessly
• Excessive clinging and fear of being alone
• Regressive behaviour
• Sensitive to loud noises
• Confusion and irritability
• Eating problems
• New fears

For school age children (AGE 7-12):

• Nonspecific physical complaints (aches and pains)
• Appetite changes
• Sleep changes (trouble falling asleep, bad dreams)
• Sadness
• Withdrawal from peers
• Irritability
• Whining, clinging
• Aggression and questioning authority
• School avoidance, loss of interest and difficulty concentrating in school
• Regressive behaviour
• Rebellion at home or school
• New fears

And for teenages (AGE 13-18):

• Appetite changes
• Sleep changes (nightmares, trouble falling asleep)
• Sadness • Withdrawal and isolation
• Irritability and acting out
• Excessive fears and worry
• Agitation and apathy
• Risk-taking behaviours
• Poor concentration
• Disenchantment (what’s the point?)
• Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
• New fears

If you are noticing any of these symptoms in your children it is time to help them move forward and away from the quakes.

So what can we do for our kids?

It is ever more important to create a feeling of safety for your child now. Your child looks to you to create a feeling of safety and security and how you behave and react will be key to their healing. Your ability to remain calm is imperative for your child. Share in simple terms how you are feeling and explain ways that you are trying to cope with what happened. Emphasise that you and other adults are doing everything possible to make sure that people are safe, secure and free from harm.

Be there for your children. Make some extra time just for talking. Let your children ask questions. Your child’s feelings, thoughts and reactions may be different from your own so be accepting of what they communicate with you.  Each child reacts to disasters according to his/her emotional and developmental stage. Your child will receive information not only from you, but also from peers and the media. Ask your child about what he or she knows. If your child chooses to do so, let him or her explain in his or her own words the earthquake and its effects. This will provide an opportunity to clear up any misinformation or misconceptions. You may need to provide explanation about what are aftershocks and that they will become fewer in number and less strong overtime.  Reduce exposure and focussing on the event as this may only heighten a child’s anxiety.  

You must always look after yourself first as well. At scopehypnosis.com you can download a free Relaxation MP3  which will help you to reduce the stress and tension caused by the quakes.

For kids: http://scopehypnosis.com/free-kids-quake-recovery-mp3/ and instructions are on the download page.

Be well everyone!

Lisa Wheeler

Clinical Hypnotherapist

You did a good job Mummy

It has been a while since I've written a post but as unethical as this topic might be I feel it's a worth a mention.

It all began about 4 years ago when my daughter had her first encounter with someone vomiting. It wasn't her but that didn't matter. The impact this made left her in fear of vomiting herself or of others vomiting. Lucky for her to the age of 8 1/2 she has only had 3 individual incidents of vomiting herself. Two are easily put down to eating foods that don't agree with her and the other from a sickness. Most of us hate to vomit but we know it helps our body to get rid of things that make us sick.

2 years ago a child threw-up during the cross-country race at school (I hated that race too as a kid) and this left my daughter in fear of sitting anywhere near that child in class for the rest of the year. Last year there was a spectacular incident during a very large multi-school choir festival where a boy in my daughter's class and on stage close by power spewed all over the people below him on the grandstand.  If it had been a part of a film it could not have been written any better.

Picture this- the final song is "Thank-you for the Music" by ABBA and in the last 2 minutes this spray comes forth evacuating a section of the grandstand, but yet the leader keeps the kids singing, louder and louder to compensate for the action going on down the end.  Honestly, it was like a movie scene, you just could not believe it was happening.

The result of this is this year my daughter is afraid to be in choir. Afraid, not of the practice, but of the show. One teacher told her "These things always happen at choir" which was not helpful in the least.

We had 6 weeks leading up to the show and the stress of the unknown on the night was really taking it's toll. There were tears and more tears and more tears.  But as she is currently practicing for a musical she needs the choir singing experience. My help was offered and refused more times than I'd like to count and finally I just decided to write a hypnotic script to play to her at night- after she had gone to sleep. And yes, without her agreement or knowledge.

From that day forward I didn't hear any stress about choir. No tears, no worry just an easy going approach to choir. The night before the big show I asked her how she was feeling. She said "Well, I think what happened last year is very unlikely to happen again". I agreed and told her how proud I was that she'd come to that conclusion herself. Yet inside I know that is one of the lines in the hypnosis track I wrote her and I am so excited.

She went to show. She had a great time! She even said to another girl that it was so much fun the other girl should have done it too.

I confessed a few days later to having used hypnosis on her while sleeping. I felt nervous about telling her but thought she should know.
Her response "You did a good job Mummy"!
And that's one for the memory books!

Who do you know with fears and phobias? Contact Lisa Wheeler at www.scopehypnosis.com

Friend or Frenemy?

I’ve been duped more times than I can count by “friends” who were not really friends.  These so called “friends” whom we now call frenemies who stab you in the back, kick you when you’re down, and take advantage of your generosity. So how can you tell if a friendship is lifelong or just a fly by night relationship which may or may not be mutually satisfying?

Friendships should be beneficial to both parties. They should share the qualities of honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness and unconditional acceptance. Without these elements we tend to have superficial relationships with our friends which makes maintaining these relationships difficult. As we change and grow what we want from a friendship also changes.

Some of us invest so much into our friendships and we want a long term payback on that investment. Often, it just doesn’t happen.

When I think about my friends, my deep and truly lasting relationships, what I notice is that my true friends have witnessed my growth. They have celebrated with me, and I them, for each milestone in our lives. We have time under our belts together.  Which begs the questions does time build friendships?

But yet, some of those powerful relationships have also become stale-dated. Relationships of all sorts need to be cultivated and nourished, friendships are no different in that respect. Good friends work together through harder times and the relationship continues to be mutually beneficial.

The one thing I know, is that friendships need to be nurtured and cared for like a garden and it has to work both ways.  For now, I continue to make myself vulnerable knowing I am true to who I am and hoping my influence will enhance the lives of those I touch.

If you or someone you know needs help overcoming a broken friendship then hypnosis may well help to build your confidence again in relationships.

www.scopehypnosis.com

Ladies suffer too...

Let’s talk about something that hardly ever gets discussed: vaginismus.

What is vaginismus you say? 
Well, it is a sexual dysfunction that some women suffer from.  It has a strong link to the mind.  Various resources describe it as an involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles surrounding the vagina causing discomfort, burning, pain, penetration problems during sex or an inability to have intercourse.  As it is involuntary the woman feels she does not have control over what happens with her muscles.  In other words, it puts a lot of stress and strain on women who cannot enjoy sex.

Did you know that vaginismus is said to be the main cause of unconsummated relationships?

The tightness can be so restrictive that the opening to the vagina is 'closed off' altogether and the man is unable to insert his penis or the penis may be inserted but pain results. The pain of vaginismus ends when the sexual attempt stops, and usually intercourse must be halted due to pain or discomfort.  The tightening is very specifically linked to sexual activity.

So what causes this?

Vaginismus can often have a link to past traumatic events, abuse, a history of discomfort can create negative impacts on vaginismus as can other complex psychopathology.  At times, there are no causes to be found.  It is vital that a therapist looks at all aspects of woman’s life to assure treatment takes into consideration any psychological issues which may be present, the cause or just contributing factors to the problem.

If you or someone you know are living with this debilitating condition, then contact me now to get help.

www.scopehypnosis.com

"Of course I'm fine! I just like a drink here and there. Get off my back!"

“I’m not an alcoholic! I don’t have a problem!  I’m fine.”

We’ve all heard the word denial before but few stick to it so vehemently as the high functioning alcoholic.  There are many ways of telling yourself that you don’t have a problem and those around you might also support this idea, but when alcohol is a problem both you and others may begin to suffer.  

Maybe your partner doesn’t want you to drink at parties because you don’t know when to stop and your personality changes as the drink takes over. Or do you feel you have to have that drink in the middle of the day just so you can make it through to the end? Going back to work and justifying to yourself that it’s okay as you are not under the influence having just had one or two with lunch. Maybe you are hiding bottles in the recycle bin or re-filling them so they look untouched.

Do you get worked up, anxious and irritable if you can’t get your fix? This behaviour change is a sure sign that you have become addicted to alcohol regardless of how well you are functioning.

Maybe you can’t get out of bed in the morning and you tell yourself it’s because you went to bed late, not because you are hung-over.  You don’t fit the stereotype of being a “drunk” so therefore you don’t have a problem with alcohol.

All this may be true but on the other-hand all this may just put you in the category of a high functioning alcoholic.  These are the people around us whose lives don’t fall apart from drink but they are slowly killing themselves all the same.

If you know someone that you think is hiding their addiction from themselves, speak up and advise them to get help.

Lisa Wheeler

www.scopehypnosis.com

According to http://www.helpguide.org/mental/alcohol_abuse_alcoholism_signs_effects_treatment.htm

You may have a drinking problem if you...

• Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking.
• Lie to others or hide your drinking habits.
• Have friends or family members who are worried about your drinking.
• Need to drink in order to relax or feel better.
• “Black out” or forget what you did while you were drinking.
• Regularly drink more than you intended to.

Please seek help.

3 Tips to Improve Self Esteem

Self esteem: how your think about yourself and how your thinking makes you feel.

Feelings are linked to our emotional core which guides us through our lives.  When you begin to have negative thoughts about who you are and what you do, you head down a slippery slope away from a happy fulfilling life.  Feeling good about who you are and how you handle yourself is vital to good mental health.

Feeling good about yourself can be a struggle for women who have gained a few pounds over the years. Most of us fight nature, as we get older, move less and have babies, with hope of winning showing in glimpses on the scales. But many of us struggle mentally with internal put downs and poor body image which in turn, contribute to a lack of self esteem.

So what can you do? Here are 3 easy mental activities which will change how you feel about yourself thus helping you to shift that weight and lead a happier life.

Tip One:

Pick and aspect of your body that you like and every time you look in the mirror tell yourself how special, unique and wonderful it is to have that aspect looking back at you.

Tip Two:

Spend one minute each day telling yourself that you are unique and special and quite unlike anyone else in the world. Repeat this to yourself in your mind daily for one minute.

Tip Three:

Focus your energy positively on someone else- your partner, child or even a pet and tell them frequently that they are unique and special and quite unlike anyone else in the world.

I met a woman once who told herself she was fat and ugly every time she looked in the mirror. This poor woman wasn’t only saying this to herself in her mind but she was saying this out loud. Sure enough, by the time her child was 3 years old, her child was calling her fat and ugly. I met her again a year down the track and she diligently used these 3 tips daily and over time she made a great shift in her self-confidence and self esteem.

Just a little time each day, invested in your own self will make a big long term shift in your life’s satisfaction and happiness.

For more help contact me at www.scopehypnosis.com

Can happiness impact your child's health?

Late last year I wrote a blog about how the negative culture of a school also negatively impacted my child’s health. There are many articles written about healthy kids being happy kids. 

As you may know reading my previous blog we have recently relocated to a town more than 800 kilometres from where we lived. Our child is going to a new school again. This is the third school in as many years. But this blog is about how happiness has impacted my child's health and moreover, the influence of emotions on childhood well-being.

In the new school our daughter enjoys the teacher, enjoys the activities that go on at school, and has fun.  The new classroom is no stress fantastic enriched environment. She arrives out of the classroom happy and stays that way while playing at home. Today I walked her into the classroom and she read me a story that she wrote last week. She felt very proud of what she’d written and rightfully so. The teacher in the classroom smiles when the children come in and says “Good morning” looking like she has all the time in the world!  

Having spent 15 years as a primary school teacher I know that she is rushed off her feet day and night. Yet she makes the time to smile at me and the kids individually and set the day off right. The classroom is warm and comfortable, not just physically but emotionally as well, and I trust that this individual is working to help my child not just learn but develop into a caring compassionate person for the future.

Funnily enough, after the stress of the move, one month gone and my child has become healthier and healthier. But she is also happier and happier as each day passes. Emotions play a vital role in health and childhood stress is a huge issue in our world. Stressed children become stressed adults with deep-seated issues for which resolution can be challenging. 

Today I encourage all of you to help your children become healthier by being conscientious that the actions that we take as adults and choices we make for our children can have a lasting impact on their health and wellness. Happiness is not a frivolous "feeling" but a way of seeing the world which has an impact on your child's physical wellness.

If you or your family need help to reduce stress then contact me at www.scopehypnosis.com

Read more about childhood stress here:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/stress.html

http://psychcentral.com/lib/7-tips-for-helping-your-child-manage-stress/