Women’s Health Blog

Let’s face it. There are just some days when it would just seem easier to let your child have his way than feeling like you’re fighting a losing battle when trying to discipline them. They beg, plead, cry, barter and scream – anything to get out of doing the time for their crime. However, don’t lose your strength and your will during this time. It’s times like these when consistent disciplinary action is imperative to teaching your child positive and acceptable behaviors. There is no room for negotiation when it comes to bad behaviors and there should be no room for exceptions when it comes time for punishing misdeeds or bad behavior.

Hopefully before any misdeeds occur, you’ve sat down with your child and discussed the consequences of misdeeds and inappropriate behavior or decisions. Be concise and consistent when discussing these consequences so that when the time to implement them comes, you can follow through with ease. Children are classically testing the boundaries and limits set on them on a continual basis, and the temptation to ‘bend the rules’ just once or twice can be overwhelming when they’re really trying your patience. But be firm yet fair. Emphasize that this was the understood consequence for this particular misdeed or inappropriate action, and that now is not the time to negotiate. Afterwards, take time out to discuss the situation with your child, and if it seems that perhaps a consequence that worked at first isn’t working anymore, rethink that punishment and negotiate with your child. Of course, parameters that are set for their well-being or safety should never be negotiated. But in other instances, it may be time to develop a new consequence based on your child’s age, temperament or maturity level.

It’s also imperative that your spouse and any other adult caregivers are all on the same page and following through on punishments with the same level of consistency and clarity. Should you determine that what was once working isn’t working anymore and develop a new parameter, be sure all adult caregivers are brought into the loop so that follow through remains consistent and clear.

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Those who have experienced a panic attack (or more) know first hand how terribly scary the incident can be. It is so devastating that long after it goes, and the doctor confirms that there is nothing wrong with you, you still have a lingering doubt that you are/were close to death.

The Cause of Panic Attacks Originate from Our Survival Instinct

When a panic attack occurs, it is usually in response to a trigger. This trigger would be something that is highly threatening to you. This is a reaction that comes from the ‘flight or fight’ response of all animals when faced with danger. This explains why some animals attack in the face of danger, while others run away. They both react this way to preserve their lives. Similarly, humans too have this programming enmeshed into their psyche.

When they are too stressed and they feel that they are at the end of their rope, they may experience a panic attack, which actually the inner system is trying to push the body into action to defend it and prevent perishing. The ‘perishing’ alarm could be anything from a physical to financial threat to loss of social position.

Since this is a normal reaction, it is a bit difficult to pinpoint the cause of panic attacks. It is safe to say however, that normally this would be the direct result of some major real or perceived threat. The cause of panic attacks and the triggers are two different things, though these are very easily interchangeable. When you mention ‘causes’ – this implies the overall situation that leads to a panic attack; the trigger on the other hand, is what sets it off.

It is easy to think that the trigger is the cause of panic attack. In reality, the panic attack starts building up in line with the stress that you are accumulating in your day-to-day life. Of course, there are exceptions to this interpretation, i.e. sometimes; the trigger and the cause are one and the same. For example, you are faced with a running bull in your path. The moment you see it and realize that you are in its path, you jump away and try to get away from its line of vision and path. Your reaction (and the cause of panic attack) happens without you thinking about it. This is the ‘flight’ reaction from the ‘fight or flight’ response to danger. This is the most natural of all occurrences – and it is called self-preservation or survival.

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