Anxiety Relief for Kids
By Dr. Roxanne Daleo

Many parents and teachers have been asking me about the best methods for anxiety relief. There are many effective ways to manage our emotions but I tell you, the most valuable way is to “open your child’s mind to the power within” which is always available for stress relief but must be cultivated. And it is the adult who is responsible for teaching inner balance.

It is not enough to tell our child to go to his room to “calm down,” especially when he says “it’s boring, Mom!” Boredom is a lack of attention and it’s up to us, the adult, to show, don’t tell
by modeling calming ourselves first.

Here are the ABC’s of educating your child’s inner-self: their greatest source of healing.

A -stands for attention. The act of readying the mind is step one. And this condition of readiness can only be achieved with practice by directing the mind to pay attention. How do you teach your child how to listen, see and notice in order learn and understand?
Start by going outdoors. Take paper, colored pencils, water colors or crayons. Ask three questions: “What do you see? Draw it! What do you hear? Bird songs, crickets, rustling leaves, mountain streams, what else? Write a word or phrase to describe it.
What do you feel? Express it! Use your body and facial expressions.” Look for the tiny objects in the natural world- could you find a sooth stone, an acorn or pine cone, a feather, a flower? You model the process for your child and your child will follow your lead.

B -stands for breath. Bring your attention to this moment and to this one…breathe a long, deep breath. Hold that smooth stone in your hand. Let the stone be a reminder of smoothing out the jitters inside you, right now. Notice the beauty all around us. Feel the energy all around you and within you. There is a place within you that is peaceful and cannot be disturbed. Now, reach out and touch the trunk of this mighty oak tree. Breathe the life force energy from the tree to you. Now send energy to the tree with all your heart, say “I love you, thank you for reminding me how to stand still.” Become aware of this energy that goes two ways- like a radio receiver. Breath in- take in the energy of this strong oak tree; imagine the tree giving you energy and now when you breathe out, you can imagine sending out energy to the tree. It’s a rhythm of breathing in and out, a rhythm of receiving and giving.

C– stands for calm. Calm yourself consciously, deliberately. Say to yourself, “I am
the peace of the quiet, forest air” “I am the strength of the mighty oak tree.” “ I am the limitless
possibility of the open blue sky.” Use every word you speak to picture the way you want to be.
You are a powerful, energy being, never forget that! Stand tall and proud. There is a divine spark within you that connects you to the sacred. It is your inner-most self, the greatest source of healing. You have what you need to find your peace and be calm.

BONUS MINI MEDITATION – THE MIGHTY OAK TREE

1. Stand tall as the mighty oak tree. Imagine your roots go down into the earth and your branches are reaching upward to the sun and sky.
2. You can do this meditation by closing your eyes, taking a deep breath and sending that breath to your feet. Now lift your toes then place them firmly down. Feel the earth beneath your feet. Smell the sweet, soft ground.
3. Now, stretch your arms, reaching up to the sky. Breathe. You can imagine drawing energy from your feet just as the tree draws energy from its roots and sends this energy all the way up its trunk to the tree top. Now, lower your arms and stand tall as a mighty oak tree.
4. Breath in and out slowly, feel the energy flow. You are powerful. Take another breath and go deeper and deeper, totally relaxed. Day by day and in every way you are growing better and better, calmer and calmer.

Alleviate Anxiety and Activate the Healing Power Within

By Dr. Roxanne Daleo

Allow me to offer you an easy technique for fast relief. Using dramatic play, with little or no prompting, the child places himself into the world of story; it can lasts for a few minutes, hours or even days and all that is needed is a hat!

The child is immediately transported. But don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this shape-shifting “hat trick!” Wise, world cultures have been using it seriously for centuries.

Consider when the Native American Chief places his stunning head dress of valuable eagle feathers, he believes he possesses the powers of that sacred eagle and in doing so connects with the Great Spirit.

Can you self-possess your powers within to access your divine spirit?

In drama class, we make our costumes first to access the inner life or suppose we refer to it as the inner spirit. In many world traditions, the making of a garment can give you protection, such as the Emperor’s robe or King’s crown which is meant to transform the wearer from common place into Royalty, from ordinary into supernatural.

Activate your healing power within.

Jeffrey’s terrific conversation with Dr. Roxanne Daleo, Harvard University Health Services educator and founder of MindWorks for Children.

Trained in relaxation and stress reduction techniques at the Harvard Medical School, and the use of symbols for healing from the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Daleo has worked as clinician, instructor and consultant in a wide variety of business and health care settings, and has extensive experience working with children, adults and professionals for patient education, stress management, health promotion and creative art and play therapy programs for the chronic and terminally ill.

MindWorks for Children is a special resource for parents, children, teachers and caregivers to help children and families better cope with normal social and academic pressures children face in school, tests and sports competition, as well as, experiences with nightmares, sickness, hospitalizations, family changes and loss. It also can help parents and professionals reduce worries and fears in children by teaching how to strengthen children’s ability to handle life’s challenges in school, play, and relationships through guided relaxation and meditations designed for stress reduction and how to help themselves feel better, reduce pain and calm down.

Jeffrey’s terrific conversation with Dr. Roxanne Daleo, Harvard University Health Services educator and founder of MindWorks for Children.

Trained in relaxation and stress reduction techniques at the Harvard Medical School, and the use of symbols for healing from the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Daleo has worked as clinician, instructor and consultant in a wide variety of business and health care settings, and has extensive experience working with children, adults and professionals for patient education, stress management, health promotion and creative art and play therapy programs for the chronic and terminally ill.

MindWorks for Children is a special resource for parents, children, teachers and caregivers to help children and families better cope with normal social and academic pressures children face in school, tests and sports competition, as well as, experiences with nightmares, sickness, hospitalizations, family changes and loss. It also can help parents and professionals reduce worries and fears in children by teaching how to strengthen children’s ability to handle life’s challenges in school, play, and relationships through guided relaxation and meditations designed for stress reduction and how to help themselves feel better, reduce pain and calm down.

Listen here to Dr. Roxie’s interview on
Doctor Health Radio from Honolulu, Hawaii

She discusses “what improves mental health?” Find out how your heart/brain
is a powerful electromagnetic device that can boost your immune response
and be felt up to twenty feet away.

The most important gift you can give your children is connecting with them
from a place of calm. Learn how imagining a Hawaiian island retreat is good
for your kids and even better for you!

Thanksgiving Storytelling Family Tradition

By Dr. Roxanne Daleo

“ …and that’s true love!” said my grandpa… his voice made my mind conjure up the entire scene: I see it as if it were real, mom serving dessert after a big Italian-American feast for Thanksgiving Day, always prepared with love by my parents in what I believed to be our beautiful New Jersey home. But the fact is, it was only my grandfather’s voice coming from an audio cassette player. A tape I nearly tossed in the trash moments before to clear the clutter from my garage. So glad I have this priceless treasure today.

Through “imagining” you mentally “see.” Your brain takes the audio input of a voice and provides you a “mental picture”. In this case, it pulled out a memory of the past and my brain served up a scene so vivid you relive it as if it were happening in the present. My grandfather’s philosophy about true love were his words of wisdom I’ll treasure forever.

Your brain can also take an idea or visualization to create a future-self. Your brain can be directed using mental imagery which is really a kind of storytelling.

When you add the auditory aspect, such as a voice, you add a person’s energy because your voice is the blueprint of your soul. Listening to the sound of your own voice is a powerful way to imprint and direct your subconscious mind.

Add the background music and the brain automatically enhances the imagery experience as if it were real. The mind makes no distinction between real and imagined information; this is why using guided imagery narrations for relaxation are a powerful form of mind/body medicine. Scientists are learning how we manipulate and examine pictures of the mind and develop internal states of awareness, resilience and balance.

Many world cultures have been using the power of mental imagery in the form of storytelling. Let’s look at the Native American culture specifically, they have been using the art of telling stories passed down from one generation to the next as their primary form of wisdom communication. Traditionally, Native Americans transmit by story their mythology, spiritual and historical understandings of themselves and the world in which they live to their children.

Storytelling creates the mental imagery in the minds and hearts of the young, that which elders did not want forgotten. In this way, the elders ensured young would not lose sight of their roots, important knowledge that would allow them to live in harmony and cooperation with the natural world.

So this Thanksgiving why not try to capture more voices of the elders in your tribe, the seniors in your family. Allow them to pass on their words of wisdom to the children as part of the formal celebration for which we are giving thanks and deep appreciation. In this way, you can be sure your children and their children have your family’s important knowledge through the beautiful storytelling tradition.

7 Keys to Cultivate Storytelling Family Tradition

1.Give your children and their children a beautiful way to honor their elders by asking questions about their roots, heritage, country of origin and the ways of their people.

2.Use a recording devise to capture and remember forever, the voices of the senior family members and their words of wisdom.

3.Make the bedtime ritual include recounting meaningful memories you made this Thanksgiving holiday (holy day).

4.Create a work of art. Draw, paint, sing a song or dance your newly realized wisdom tradition.

5. Each year collect keepsake photos, images and quotes in a box or a book.

6.Ask your child to express the kind of person they want to become; share the vision of a world they want to see and live in.

7.Have your child record their own voice to express their visions. Speak about appreciation, love and peace. Play this recording before sleep so  the subconscious mind can bring good thoughts to every cell in your child’s body.

SPECIAL OFFER: Head on over to www.drroxannedaleo.com for your free sample Guided Imagery Relaxation Journey