The Beast of Anxiety

Can we talk about anxiety for a minute?  Anxiety is woven into our every day in our family.  Even the slightest of things can bring on anxiety for Charlie.  A few days ago I started prepping him for his upcoming dentist appointment.  We know things like this bring on a lot of anxiety for him.  It's a fine balance between prepping him for it- which works better- or springing it on him like a surprise.  If we avoid talking about it and spring it on him last minute, the outcome is usually a disaster.  So we've learned to prep him for most things like dental or doctor appointments or even just an outing in the community.  By talking about what we're doing and telling him what to expect, we can prep him for what is coming.  However, even the prepping can bring on a lot of anxiety.  

Since the moment I told him he has a dentist appointment on Monday, Charlie talks about it throughout the day.  He asks multiple times a day when the appointment is and if he needs to get shots (he mixes the dentist up with the doctor).  I will then tell him how many days until we go to the dentist, we write it on a calendar and I remind him how nice his dentist is.  I also remind him that Sunny will be there with him and can sit in the chair with him if it is helpful- yes, we've had Sunny in the dental chair with Charlie multiple times before and it always helps him get through the appointment like a champ.

Anxiety can look so different from person to person.  For Charlie it's a hyper focus on what he's anxious about, it's constant worry and thinking about it, its clinging to mom and needing extra snuggles, it's not being able to focus on eating or even coming to the table for a meal at all.  His anxiety is finding something insignificant and making it a way bigger deal than it needs to be, it's crying and increased meltdowns, it's items being thrown and often broken.  And sometimes it's aggression.  Anxiety is a best. Anxiety present itself in so many ways for him and some of them are really hard to deal with.  But we'll keep prepping and we'll keep working on ways to stay calm tomorrow for the big appointment.  Cross your fingers for no cavities.  Brushing teeth is a whole other beast over here.