#school%20anxiety

[pittrarebooks]

Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark: Advice for Coping with Anxiety from the 1990s Popular Psychology Text in Archives & Special Collections

This blog post was written by Taylor Brooks, a student employee in Archives & Special Collections. 

I am a Psychology/ Social Work major and I chose to write about this topic because it hits close to home for me. As a student, anxiety levels can increase, so I wanted to bring some light to this topic and help give ways to cope with it. 

Anxiety is something that most people deal with at some point in their lives. Anxiety can mean a person is in a state of being uneasy, apprehensive, or worried. The feeling of anxiety can often make a person feel that they are powerless in a situation. It is one of the most inevitable parts of life. There are many different types of anxiety, according to the Diagnostic Statistics Manual-3 (DSM), including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and many others.  

(Above) Cover of Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark, 1993. Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

In the 1993 book Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark, held by Archives & Special Collections, Lark explains some of the risk factors of anxiety. “These include physiological imbalance, genetic factors, family programming, major long and short-term life stresses, and personal belief systems.” Self-evaluation can help people become aware of possible risk factors based on lifestyle habits, as well as the existence of health problems that can trigger anxiety symptoms.  

Lark goes over many ways you can better your anxiety. In her book, she shows how eating healthier foods can play a role in preventing and relieving anxiety and stress. Breathing exercises help because you are getting more oxygen into your body and allowing your body to regulate itself. If you do breathing exercises while having a panic attack it can help, give you something else to focus on and be able to calm down. Physical exercise can help “discharge physical and emotional tension that accompanies a vigorous session of exercise directly and immediately reduces anxiety and stress.” 

(Above) “Monthly Calendar of Anxiety Symptoms” worksheet, page 46,  Anxiety and Stress by Susan Lark, 1993. Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System.

Currently in 2022 the CDC estimates 9.4 percent of children, ages 3-17, have been diagnosed with anxiety. Anxiety symptoms are common in all children at various times and circumstances. Anxiety interferes with cognitive processing. “It is possible that a child or adolescent might be miserable and show significant social maladjustment but maintain acceptable school performance.” 

Work Cited 

Cambridge University Press. DSM-III: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition. 3rd ed., The American Psychiatric Association, 1985. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, April 13). Anxiety and depression in children: Get the facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/anxiety-depression-children.html#:~:text=Anxiety%20and%20depression%20affect%20many,diagnosed%20anxiety%20in%202016%2D2019. 

House, Alvin. DSM-IV Diagnosis in the Schools, Revised Edition. Guilford Publications, 2002. 

Lark, Susan. Anxiety and Stress: A Self-Help Program (The Women’s Health Series). Westchester Pub Co, 1993. 

#popularpsychology #specialcollections #archives #selfhelp #anxiety

[nevebennett-viscom]

Anon (2020). Affects of Colors on a Child’s Psychology. [online]. Available from: https://www.ecoleglobale.com/blog/how-color-affects-your-child/ [Accessed 27 April 2023].

Anon (n.d.). Helping Your Child Learn to Read – Guide for Ages 4–5.

Reading eggs

[online]. Available from: https://readingeggs.com/articles/2016-06-24-learn-to-read-guide/.Anon (n.d.). Colors in the Learning Environment.

handy handouts

[online]. Available from: https://www.handyhandouts.com/viewHandout.aspx?hh_number=486&nfp_title=Impact+of+Colors#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20lighter%20colors,increase%20anxiety%20in%20some%20children.Bevan, F. (2023).

Interview with Read & Recovery specialist

.Cadden, M. (ed.) (2011a).

Telling Children’s Stories: Narrative Theory and Children’s Literature

. UNP - Nebraska Paperback [online]. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1dfnsch [Accessed 25 May 2023].Cadden, M. (ed.) (2011b).

Telling Children’s Stories: Narrative Theory and Children’s Literature

. UNP - Nebraska Paperback [online]. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1dfnsch [Accessed 25 May 2023].Child, L. (n.d.).

Charlie and Lola: But Excuse Me That is My Book - Charlie and Lola

. Charlie and Lola. Penguin Random House Children’s UK [online]. Available from: https://www.waterstones.com/book/charlie-and-lola-but-excuse-me-that-is-my-book/lauren-child/9780141500539.Contributors, W.E. (n.d.).

What Is Hyperlexia?

[online]. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/children/what-is-hyperlexia [Accessed 26 April 2023].Garner, M. (2014). Narrative Structure In Children’s Books- Parts Of The Narrative .

Book Editing Associates

[online]. Available from: https://www.book-editing.com/narrative-structure-childrens-books-parts-narrative/.Hogenboom, M. (n.d.).

What is the best age to learn to read?

[online]. Available from: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220228-the-best-age-for-learning-to-read [Accessed 26 April 2023].Mather, M. (1950). Animal stories for children and the use of animal characters in children’s literature. [online]. Available from: https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/4809 [Accessed 4 May 2023].media-studies (2020).

Todorov’s Narrative Theory of Equilibrium and Disruption

[online]. Available from: https://media-studies.com/todorov/ [Accessed 25 May 2023].Nicoll, H. and Pienkowski , J. (n.d.).

Meg and Mog

. Meg and Mog. Penguin Random House Children’s UK [online]. Available from: https://www.waterstones.com/book/meg-and-mog/helen-nicoll/jan-pienkowski/9780141380599.The School Reading List (n.d.).

School Reading List - Recommended books for children

[online]. Available from: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/ [Accessed 4 May 2023].Tolkien, T. (2023).

Recommended reading list books for Reception children aged 4-5

[online]. Available from: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks1-school-pupils/suggested-reading-list-reception-pupils-eyfs-age-4-5/ [Accessed 4 May 2023].

[carleeb]

Chp 10 Fieldwork

The first article I found is about China's cheap labor. The article explains how in previous years workers in China have been working overtime for cheap wages. Not only does China have unskilled workers that will work for cheap but also skilled workers, which means that whatever labor one needs for a business, China will have it. The United States is an example of a country that is using Chinese laborers for cheap labor yet quality products in only a little amount of time. Only recently has the wages increased for workers in China and even so they still are not getting paid what they are worth. This relates to Karl Marx's social theory of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie were the capital class and owned the means of production. While the proletariat were the working class and unable to make their own living and products which led to them selling their work to the capitalists. In today's scenario the laborers in China are the proletariat and the United States and other countries using China's workers are the bourgeoisie. 

https://www.gaebler.com/Cheap-Labor-in-China.htm

The second article I found is about the Will Smith incident at this year's Oscars. The article explains the incident and gives incite as to why Will Smith lashed out and some of the responses. There have been many mixed opinions on whether Will Smith did something wrong or was just defending his wife. Despite societal reactions, Will Smith has gotten off easier than he would’ve if he were not famous. He did not get escorted out by security after assaulting Chris Rock and was even allowed to accept his award and go to the Oscars after party. This plays into Max Weber’s social theories about prestige and life changes. Prestige is the reputation or influence one has based on their membership in certain groups. Then prestige such as wealth and income can affect life chances. Life chances are the opportunities for one to improve their life. For people already with prestige their life chances are higher than most. In today's scenario Will Smith has prestige, based on his lifelong acting career and respectable name, which has helped him dodge a few billets in the Oscars incident. Furthermore, people such as Willow smith and Jaden smith have a greater life chance because they were born out of prestige.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/03/29/reactions-will-smith-chris-rock-slap/

 The last article is about the pressures that the SATs apply to students. Before the COVID outbreak in 2020 many colleges and universities looked at SAT and ACT scores as a way of evaluating a student's intelligence. As a previous high school student, preparing for the SAT was very stressful because many students are led to believe that high SAT scores get you into a good college. This puts a lot of pressure on the student and can elevate anxiety levels and cause them to perform worse on the test. This has to do with what Pierre Bourdieu defines as habitus. When students take the SATs they use their scores to get accepted into good colleges, which will enable them to get good jobs and lends a potential for social mobility. 

https://www.crossedsabres.org/opinion-2/2017/02/23/standardized-testing-leads-to-student-stress/#:~:text=Moya%20is%20one%20of%20the,more%20anxiety%20than%20local%20tests.

[is6621]

The Benefits of Social Media Use by Children- Bryan Bruwer

It seems that each generation is subjected to some sort of “techno-panic” in which the arrival of a new technology into everyday life is scrutinized and subject to fear-mongering over how it will ruin our lives. For older generations, it was being brainwashed by the television, or even the concept of writing things down ruining the human capacity to think and use our brains. A pervasive aspect of these panics is the idea that the new technology will be especially harmful to those who are most impressionable: youth. The debate over at what age children should have social media (or whether they should have it at all) is an intriguing one. I would argue that the benefits of social media use by young people often go overlooked and that what age a child gets access to social media should be completely circumstantial.

 Some of the arguments of those who are against youth social media use appear to be extremely reasonable. After all, social media can be quite addicting, and many people regardless of age are guilty of pouring way too much time into browsing their Facebook feed or Instagram timeline. Additionally, social media can be a vehicle for bullying to occur, and the results of this can be devastating as supported by many studies.

There are several prominent campaigns such as ‘Wait Untill 8th’ that aim to encourage parents to not allow their children to have cell phones until the 8th grade (approximately 13 years old) or access to data until they are 16. Although I certainly agree that parents should wait until their children are mature enough to handle social media, many of their positions are based on fears that although logical, appear to not be nearly as warranted as one would think.

Despite their apparent validity on the surface, many of the arguments used to discourage parents from allowing their kids to use social media could be generalized to other activities or things that children experience anyway. For example, do those who contend that children should be spared from the addictive tendencies that social media can produce feel the same way about video games? What about junk food? Other arguments fall victim to the same fallacy. Worrying about the harm that social media can cause children tends to ignore that its negative implications (whether that be exposure to bullying, adult content, less focus on school) are often omnipresent in the life of a child and in many cases are just a part of growing up.

Although there is a tremendous stigma surrounding how damaging social media can be to teens and youth, the results of a poll conducted by Common Sense (a media non-profit) show that the positive effects of social media tend to far outweigh the negative. I was very taken aback by just how decisive many of these poll results were, especially the fact that social media actually appears to make teens less anxious and more confident. A study conducted by the Pew Research Center (results to the left) echoes the sentiment of the Common Sense Poll. It actually appears that social media has quite a positive effect on the lives of a majority of teens.

This is especially relevant in today’s times where face-to-face interaction is limited due to the pandemic. Beyond allowing young people to maintain contact with their friends and acquaintances who they may not be able to see, social media can give children an avenue to strengthen existing relationships as well as create new ones. Additionally, studies have found that children who are on social media can benefit from a feeling of being “welcome” and “connected” to something that is bigger than themselves.

The key to the issue of kid’s social media use lies in one thing and one thing only: discretion on behalf of parents. Parents should be cognizant of whether their children is mature enough to take on the responsibility of social media. This should not necessarily be an issue of age as many have made it. Some children are more mature than others, and parents should expect that their children do some stupid things. However, it is their job to ensure that these stupid things are not ones with any serious ramifications.

Almost all of the negative implications of social media use by youth can be mitigated with proper parenting. If a parent wants to limit the access of their child because they fear they will use platforms too much or for the wrong reason, they have the power to do this. Parents can also have conservations with their children about concepts like self-worth and self-esteem that social media can damage for some people.

In summation, I believe the debate over how young is too young for social media is one that is not only largely subjective and differs wildly based on maturity of the child, but is also strewn with misinformation about how social media impacts youth. Although the vast majority of people believe social media has a negative impact on children, there is plenty of solid evidence to suggest the contrary that needs to be acknowledged.

Sources

https://www.vox.com/2018/9/10/17826810/social-media-use-teens-time-spent-facebook-instagram-snapchat

https://www.care.com/c/stories/4275/5-dangers-of-social-media-to-discuss-with-you/#:~:text=They%20interfere%20with%20school%20work,They%20increase%20anxiety%20and%20depression.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/5-reasons-you-dont-need-to-worry-about-kids-and-social-media

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/28/teens-and-their-experiences-on-social-media/

https://www.waituntil8th.org/why-wait

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180419130923.htm

[whatyoucandoforyourmind]

Exercise for Mental Health

of 

It’s no secret that a big part of why college students struggle so much with their mental health is because of high stress levels. According to an article published by Katharina Star, The Mental Health Benefits of Physical Exercise, there are numerous benefits of exercise for the mind. 

Exercise has been proven to improve several mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and even ADHD. These are common mental health illnesses seen in college students. If your a college student that finds yourself struggling with these issues, it is definitely a good idea to make physical exercise a part of your everyday routine. 

While it is always a good idea to get your body moving in any way possible, different types of exercise can help with different areas you’re struggling with. For example, if you find that stress is a contributing factor to your mental health, yoga may be the thing to try. Yoga is proven the stress response in our bodies, and give you a better sense of well being. 

According to the same article published by Star, another great way to reduce stress and lower depression is to get in your cardio. Cardio can include running, cycling, and even dancing. Many colleges also have sports teams that include a great deal of cardio, so you may want to consider joining a sports team. That would be a great way to get involved in your school, all while bettering your mental health. 

Overall, any type of physical exercise is a step in the right direction when it comes to bettering your mental health. Whether it be something moderate or invigorating, physical activity will give your mind a better sense of well being. Getting active is an important step towards bettering your mental health and is something college students should try to include in their everyday life. 

I’ve included some links to websites that can steer you towards the right direction. These links include starter tips for yoga, and cardio work outs. 

https://www.fountainhead.com.au/7-yoga-poses-for-stress-relief

https://moodactive.org.au/exercise/cardio-to-improve-your-mental-health/#:~:text=Cardio%20has%20many%20great%20benefits,reduce%20your%20stress%20and%20anxiety.

https://www.verywellfit.com/exercise-for-beginners-cardio-exercise-1229578

sources: https://www.verywellmind.com/meditation-4157199

[pumpedupkids2]

How Can Child Care Help Children With Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is a mental health condition. It is the continuous fear of being watched and judged by others which can affect work, school, and other day-to-day activities. It can also make it hard to make and keep friends. This can occur in both adults and children. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+can+daycares+help+with+social+anxieties&rlz=1CAXGER_enUS777US777&oq=how+can+daycares+help+with+social+anxieties+&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i160j33i299l2.13496j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 

When children have social anxiety they are usually shy, stay away from joining groups, and have very little to no friends. Sometimes they even get physical signs of social anxiety like nausea, stomach aches, and even blushing or trembling but it's not so easy to notice. Some may brush it off thinking it's only shyness and because most children with this disorder are very obiesent and quiet one may feel it's not a problem. Shyness in itself is not a problem only when it stops from everyday activities. 

https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/health-daily-care/mental-health/social-anxiety#:~:text=When%20children%20have%20social%20anxiety,and%20from%20making%20lasting%20friendships. 

Putting one's child in child care services would for one, get them out of their comfort zone and with other children and people. With the parents encouragement they'll be able to join and start new activities. It will also give children a place to speak for themselves instead of being sheltered by their parents. With the child care workers' knowledge of the disorder they can adjust and do things such as praise one's child for doing something outside of the social anxiety comfort zone. 

https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/health-daily-care/mental-health/social-anxiety#:~:text=When%20children%20have%20social%20anxiety,and%20from%20making%20lasting%20friendships. 

[nevebennett-viscom]

Children's illustrated book so far

Anon (2020). Affects of Colors on a Child’s Psychology. [online]. Available from: https://www.ecoleglobale.com/blog/how-color-affects-your-child/ [Accessed 27 April 2023].

Anon (n.d.). Helping Your Child Learn to Read – Guide for Ages 4–5.

Reading eggs

[online]. Available from: https://readingeggs.com/articles/2016-06-24-learn-to-read-guide/.Anon (n.d.). Colors in the Learning Environment.

handy handouts

[online]. Available from: https://www.handyhandouts.com/viewHandout.aspx?hh_number=486&nfp_title=Impact+of+Colors#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20lighter%20colors,increase%20anxiety%20in%20some%20children.Child, L. (n.d.).

Charlie and Lola: But Excuse Me That is My Book - Charlie and Lola

. Charlie and Lola. Penguin Random House Children’s UK [online]. Available from: https://www.waterstones.com/book/charlie-and-lola-but-excuse-me-that-is-my-book/lauren-child/9780141500539.Contributors, W.E. (n.d.).

What Is Hyperlexia?

[online]. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/children/what-is-hyperlexia [Accessed 26 April 2023].Hogenboom, M. (n.d.).

What is the best age to learn to read?

[online]. Available from: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220228-the-best-age-for-learning-to-read [Accessed 26 April 2023].Mather, M. (1950). Animal stories for children and the use of animal characters in children’s literature. [online]. Available from: https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/4809 [Accessed 4 May 2023].Nicoll, H. and Pienkowski , J. (n.d.).

Meg and Mog

. Meg and Mog. Penguin Random House Children’s UK [online]. Available from: https://www.waterstones.com/book/meg-and-mog/helen-nicoll/jan-pienkowski/9780141380599.The School Reading List (n.d.).

School Reading List - Recommended books for children

[online]. Available from: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/ [Accessed 4 May 2023].Tolkien, T. (2023).

Recommended reading list books for Reception children aged 4-5

[online]. Available from: https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/reading-lists-for-ks1-school-pupils/suggested-reading-list-reception-pupils-eyfs-age-4-5/ [Accessed 4 May 2023].