Keila has had a rough go of things the last year or two. We recently took some assessments and found out she has been having anxiety attacks often. She hating leaving home or not having one of us there with her and it was affecting her socially and academically at preschool.
It's hard to explain to people who don't deal with anxiety. All fear, logical or illogical have a life of their own and can be amplified until they seem too vast to control. All we can do is retreat and cope which is only a shell of who we really are.
We've worked hard with a counselor to help her understand how her thoughts and actions can make these fears grow. Her teachers have learned to know when she's withdrawing and helped make small daily goals to move out of her comfort zone. It's made a difference, the child that once hid in the corner with books and never smiled or looked people in the eye has opened up. Peers and other parents have noticed too and the following pictures from the end of school year really show it.
Our egg drop experiment.
For the summer we are working on her fears of swimming the full 25 m and performing in front of others. Hopefully this will help bridge next year where it will be a new school, new faces and teachers. It's a big change for a little one and off and on I hear her say to herself, "I can do it, I can be brave!" Right now it's just a mantra, but one day she'll know it to be true. I love this little girl with all my heart!
Keila and Mrs. Crabb
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