Friday, March 16, 2012

Childhood Anxiety

Anxiety in kids.  I've been trying to help Bumblebee for years now, with the wrong understanding of Anxiety.  It's real, it's physical, and it's just as dangerous as Anxiety and Depression in adults is.
I know I haven't been posting much lately.  I just feel so overwhelmed with trying to find the tools she needs.  I thought corn allergy was hard.  I thought migraines were difficult.  I thought the casein free, gluten free diet was big.  But those had tangible culprits, something specific that we could categorize and address.
Anxiety is so much more.  It's buried deep inside, it's complicated.  And it hurts just to watch someone suffer.
I'll leave you with this comment from Bumblebee.
"Why shouldn't I hit people?  People hit me all the time.  They hit me with their words.  They hit me with their words more and more and more, and the nicer (the words) are the harder they hurt."
I didn't know how to respond to that and it breaks my heart.  (I stopped talking and just held her until she stopped fighting and snuggled.)
We talk to doctors, we look for help.  I suppose the fact that she can verbalize that message is a good thing.  But I can't begin to express what it does to my heart.