No one wants to leave his or her child when it creates anxiety. There are gentle ways to ease the transition and make the separation easier. Here are some tips.

1. Preparation is essential. Be up front with your child in a way that is appropriate for his age, and be frank about where you will be going (“Out with Daddy for dinner”) and how long you’ll be gone. Young children won’t understand time as hours and minutes, but use terms they will understand. (“We’ll be gone for the same amount of time as it takes to eat dinner and clean up at home.”)

2. Visualization can help young children. Make a simple calendar with pictures cut out from magazines to show people and places. You can cut out pictures of yourself from photos. Use pictures of restaurants, movie theatres, your workplace, or wherever you will be. Mount the pictures to thin cardboard and cut them out. You can use poster putty to stick the pictures onto the calendar. Having a picture of their caretaker along with a picture of the child is helpful, too. Children can then see what day you will be gone and be prepared for it each time they look at the calendar.

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Dogs are often called man’s best friend. This may be partially true; however, that doesn’t mean they are a child’s best friend. In fact, some children are afraid of them. If this describes a child you know, you can use these smart ways of helping children overcome the fear of dogs.

Despite the fact they’re animals, dogs can be very similar to humans. You can tell when a dog is being playful or when they want to be left alone. Some dogs even smile at you because they’re happy to see you. When it comes to helping your child overcome the fear of dogs, it’s a good idea to begin by teaching them to read dog behavior.

If your child is afraid of dogs, take them to a pet store. They will have puppies and dogs for the child to look at but they stay behind a glass where the child and animal are safe. This will allow your child to see the animal without fear of being hurt.

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Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) are really a combination and derivation of two other processes – Thought Field Therapy and Acupuncture. Acupuncture has been studied and practiced by Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners for centuries. Long before the ideas of traditional Western Medicine were conceived practitioners were healing and empowering others using meridians and energy fields.

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is an offshoot of this theory, incorporating tapping at the meridian points accompanied by affirmations or statements. For close to 30 years now TFT has provided relief and assistance to balance the body’s energy system. Unfortunately, TFT requires intensive knowledge and training to use correctly.

Dr. Roger Callahan, American psychologist specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders, learned Applied Kinesiology and studied the meridian system of acupuncture. He was the physician who combined the use of tapping for emotional problems and simultaneously focusing on a specific fear. The process was discovered quite by accident with a patient who had significant fear of the water. In an effort to help her calm her stomach pain from the anxiety he inadvertently changed her behavior and eradicated her phobia.

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Weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry. Most people who enjoy a standard Western diet are also carrying around a few extra pounds that they continue to struggle to remove. Even with all of the media attention on the necessity of eating a well balanced diet, full of fresh fruits, vegetables and raw nuts and seeds, most people struggle to eat the requisite 8 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

Couple this struggle with the high levels of stress and negative emotions that are rampant in a society who draws comfort from airbrushed images of stick thin models and you have a recipe for disaster.

Enter the weight loss industry which has developed every potential answer to this problem under the sun. There are pills, exercise programs, day spas, week-long spas, starving, eating only one or two types of food, taking herbal supplements, acupuncture, structured support groups, counting points, weigh ins, weigh outs, and any number of other options that will make the whole process easier.

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Many people who are diagnosed with diabetes are overwhelmed with an onslaught of new information, medications, doctor visits and a feeling of helplessness. Diabetes can be frightening, particularly for anyone who is not familiar with the disease. We read about complications and insulin and medication and feel hopeless.

Many diabetics experience a period of denial when first diagnosed with diabetes. They refuse to believe there is anything wrong with them. While they remain in denial, the condition worsens. This can often lead to depression. Depression and diabetes often go hand in hand. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes have a greater risk for developing depression than other individuals.

The stress of management of diabetes can take a toll on an individual. There are new medications to take, blood sugar must be monitored frequently and a record kept for your doctor. There are frequent doctor visits and there may be several different medication combinations needed before your blood sugar is kept under control.

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