Developing anxiety in our childhood- ‘a phase we all go through’.
Srishti Shankar, INN/Delhi, @shankar_srishti
Do you remember the earliest memory of your childhood wherein you used to stutter like a jammed tape-recorder? Does it ever come back to you, the situation where your palms used to turn sweaty due to ‘fear-driven anxiety’ because the teacher had just made you stand in front of the whole class and asked you to recite the table of 13?
Well, we are pretty sure you are able to draw one or two instances until and unless you were one of those 3 per-cent allrounder kids, who used to be known for their excellent performance at multiple domains(be it art, music, sports, studies and even debating). Most of us hated being called out to read(-aloud)a particular poem or a paragraph in front of our whole class. Why? Because we were never taught to build a bridge to be more confident with ourselves!
The Education system where the pivotal-importance revolves around scoring good marks, being obdurately obedient has somewhat added up to the reasons why our kids have been more prone to experience anxiety in their childhood.
Whether a child is going through any of the aforementioned problems is just as easy to categorise only if you observe them carefully- You could always find a child who never talks to anyone and keep on knitting ways to avoid any type of interaction or a social gathering.
In India, when we look at studies which talk about counselling and seeking professional help back in the 1900s’, we would find that the results are as little as meek and absurd. Parents are always present for their children to help them, support them at the time of their atrocities but when it comes to helping them while they are under a stressful situation, using sentences like “don’t be nervous”, “don’t feel scared” doesn’t really help a child as it should have. It’s always easy to say things than actually inculcating into a practical-world.
Speaking of which, the current situation needs a lot of ‘articulated-reconciliation’ in order to inculcate effective norms and incentives wherein we are able to help our kids in a better way.
Many schools have already added “morals and ethics”-subject into their main curriculum. But full-fledged importance should be given in formulating weekly-classes which are entirely based upon spreading awareness on – “different forms of anxiety, and solutions to treat them”. There are various non-profit organizations and committees-setup which have been working their level best to make a change and spread awareness about the same issue. It becomes our duty as a responsible citizen to look into the same and try to understand the curriculum of schools in a better way. To guide them while providing them with feedback, to work intricately in order to solve the issue.
A child might not be just as clear what he is currently going through. As, “a kid, just endure whatever they’re feeling with the assumption that it is what it is”.
Hence, it becomes important for us to extend our helping hand so that we are able to define the root-cause and work towards ‘betterment’ of the situation while being with them when they need our help.