Don't Worry, Be Happy: A Child’s Guide to Dealing With Feeling Anxious

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Happiness like all things may be created and chosen; so, the first thing you need to do is commit to choosing happiness. But before that, you need to evaluate your barriers in the process. Aimed at children aged 7 – 11, it can be used independently or together with a parent or carer. It explains clearly and simply what anxiety is, what might cause it and, best of all, how you can find ways to manage and overcome it. For this it draws on proven cognitive behavioural therapy techniques, using simple activities that will help children now and possibly all through their lives. But automatic processes have been around for millennia, giving them plenty of time to perfect themselves. Higher cortical functioning came on the scene only around 40,000 years or so ago, and is weak and buggy by comparison. This, Haidt points out, "helps to explain why we have inexpensive computers that can solve logic, maths and chess problems as well as any human can" but no robot that can walk in the woods as well as a six-year-old child. It doesn't help that, despite being big and lumbering and bent on being alpha animal, the elephant is also a total scaredy-cat. A "negativity bias" against strange people and new experiences is built into the actual structure of the brain (in the way the amygdala and thalamus are wired), but though this might be annoying, it does make sense: "If you were designing the mind of a fish, would you have it respond as strongly to opportunities as to threats?" Of course not. Miss a chance for a meal and the likelihood is that another one will be along in a while. Miss the sign of a nearby predator and it's game over.

We all love the popular song by Bobby McFerrin titled “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It’s a great sentiment. If we could all stop worrying and choose to be happy, that would be wonderful, but for some people, it’s not as simple, as it sounds to be! There are circumstances, over which we have no control and are majorly responsible for our unhappiness. We can’t stop worrying about these. This is the real obstacle when situations or circumstances, lead to worry, negativity, and unhappiness. Most of us use these as justification. We want to be happy but something or the other thing in life makes us unhappy, frustrated, or negative. Thus, leaving very little choice to you to be happy. I will no longer allow the negative things in my life to spoil all of the good things I have. I choose to be HAPPY.” But none of those moves got him anything like the fame of Simple Pleasures’ leadoff cut. McFerrin had been rattling the bones of the tune in live performances for some time: a little melody, a title he’d chanced upon while walking in New York. Having thus developed his metaphor into a detailed and robustly argued picture of the mind, Haidt then takes us on an extraordinary journey. On the way he explains why meditation, cognitive therapy and Prozac are all extremely sensible ways to treat depression, why Buddhism is an over-reaction to the state of things, in what way religion is a canny cultural solution to the problems of group selection in evolution, why lovers often behave like children and what this means, how gossip is the key to human culture, and why journalists are miserable. He also has a stab at explaining the current political divide in US politics, though this is one of the very few moments in the book when things begin to sound a little glib. That aside, I don't think I've ever read a book that laid out the contemporary understanding of the human condition with such simple clarity and sense.Understandably, you may have a hard time with negative or intrusive thoughts if you struggle with depression. If that’s the case, therapy can help.

You need to make a plan where you do something small every day to build towards that dream life and know that when you get there. You may feel happier by doing this but remember, life is a journey and you have to appreciate the climb, not just the view from the top. Though it is good to have some objectives in life, however, it’s important to take one step at a time. You can’t do everything at once despite living in a technology-driven fast-paced world that inherently puts pressure on us to achieve goals. We are expected to do everything and have everything in a nanosecond. It’s not realistic to accomplish things instantly, life is not like Maggi’s two-minute Noodles. Believe, that achieving success is a time-consuming process and for that, you need to work on your goals step by step. That way, you don’t have to worry about rushing to get to the finish line today.Science proof: Charles Darwin's Natural Selection stated that every specie possesses distinction from the same specie. So that means, I could be everything you're not ;)) This practical guide combines proven cognitive-behavioural therapy methods used by child psychologists in schools with simple activities to help your child to overcome anxiety. It's aimed at children aged 7-11 because a lot happens in these years that can impact a child's emotional well-being, not just now but for years to come. Such a move would have been hard to explain to his parents. McFerrin grew up in an august musical environment; his mother Sara was a soloist at the McFerrins’ Episcopalian church. And Robert Sr. was a renowned opera singer and voice instructor. Born in 1921 as the son of a traveling Baptist preacher, Robert Sr. attracted notice at an early age for his singing ability. Still, his goal was to teach English, and when he auditioned for his high school choir, it was reluctantly. The choir director recognized his talent, offering private instruction that included classical vocal technique. (As part of his training regimen, he warned Robert away from gospel and pop.) His studies at Chicago Musical College were interrupted by the draft; after a three-year stint in the Army he returned to complete his degree.