Okay, need a little insight here.
Anxiety is by far the toughest thing we are currently dealing with.
Jonah’s anxiety was pretty manageable before the pandemic. But during the pandemic, it went THROUGH THE ROOF.
Every little thing would cause anxiety for Jonah. A plane flying overhead. Stopping at a stop light. The clothes I was wearing. When I turned my head too far one way or the other (Just as a couple of examples).
And by “anxiety,” I mean Jonah would become instantly escalated. Screaming. Hitting. Throwing. You get the idea.
Jonah’s anxiety was crippling for our whole family. We had to take separate vehicles anywhere we went to keep the boys apart because Jonny could not handle Jonah’s anxiety in the car.
Fast forward to now.
Most of Jonah’s anxieties related to the pandemic have diminished or faded away, but there are few that have persisted, and they are anxieties about things that cannot be controlled.
For instance, recently, if there are clouds in the sky, Jonah’s day will be ruined. Summer time is for “sunny weather” and clouds are not tolerated. Bar none.
You can see how this is problematic.
We live in the Pacific Northwest and we get maybe 6 weeks of sunshine a year. 😣
Jonah is checking the sky for clouds virtually every minute, even on clear day.
Another thing that currently causes Jonah anxiety is when his tablet is not at 100%.
He used to be fine playing with his tablet until it died and then plugging it in and playing while it charged.
But one faulty charging cord (4 years ago) later, and Jonah cannot abide the possibility of his tablet not charging when it is supposed to be.
So it has to ALWAYS be at 100% or Jonah becomes escalated. It’s just always plugged in now.
The problem is, even with the tablet plugged in, the power level fluctuates based on the number of apps being used and the amount of power each app drains. Roblox and Minecraft, for example use A LOT of power.
So sometimes, even when the tablet is plugged in, the battery life might drop to 99% or 98% or (heaven forbid) 97%…
And Jonah will absolutely not be able to function until it again reaches 100%.
He will scream. Things will be thrown. And then he will “hide” somewhere in the house, too anxious to look at his tablet again.
I have to check it for him and let him know when it is again at 100%.
We’ve been dealing with this for years.
I’ve been tempted to just rip the bandaid and “lose” the charger all together, forcing Jonah to either deal with his anxiety of the tablet not being 100% all the time, or to not play with his tablet at all.
…which would cause a whole different kind of “escalation” and might trigger a much larger “anxiety,” though I can’t imagine regressing back to where we were during the pandemic.
But in both these instances, I can’t control the situations that are causing anxiety for Jonah and I’ve just been having to try to redirect him to something else (which seems to cause MORE escalation)… he can smell a redirect from a mile away and I think it makes him feel like I am not addressing his current concerns.
It’s exhausting having to manage Jonah’s anxiety every day over and over again when I can’t do anything to help the situation.
I can’t control the battery life on the tablet and I CERTAINLY can’t control the weather.
So I need a little help.
What strategies have you used?
#ausome