Fear

FEAR IS NATURAL

Fear is a natural and powerful emotion that helps us stay safe. It is like an alarm system in our body that goes off when we perceive something as a threat or danger. When we feel fear, our bodies react in various ways, like making our hearts beat faster, making us sweat, and making our muscles tense up. These physical changes prepare us to either face the threat or run away from it, which is often called the "fight or flight" response. Fear can be caused by real dangers, like a growling dog, or by things that we imagine, like monsters under the bed. It is a normal and important feeling that helps us survive and make smart choices in challenging situations.

Fear can be beneficial in several ways:

Survival: Fear helps us react quickly to potentially life-threatening situations, such as avoiding a dangerous animal or responding to a sudden emergency.
Learning: It can motivate us to learn from our mistakes and avoid repeating them, as we associate fear with negative outcomes. If we constantly get scored on when we perform low section sweeps, then perhaps that is not the move for us.
Caution: Fear can encourage us to take precautions, like looking both ways before crossing the street or wearing safety gear (like a mouth guard) when necessary.
Adaptation: It can drive us to adapt and make changes in our lives, such as seeking medical attention when we experience unusual symptoms, or stepping to the side when someone does a sidekick.

However, problems arise when fear becomes excessive or irrational. Chronic fear, anxiety disorders, and phobias can interfere with daily life and well-being. In these cases, fear can be considered a problem that may require treatment or management. So, while fear itself is not bad, it is essential to strike a balance and manage it effectively to lead a healthy and fulfilling life.

"WHILE FEAR ITSELF IS NOT BAD, IT IS
ESSENTIAL TO STRIKE A BALANCE AND MANAGE IT EFFECTIVELY TO LEAD A HEALTHY AND FULFILLING LIFE.”

CHILDREN AND FEAR

Helping children manage their fears is essential for their emotional well-being and development. Here are five simple ways children can learn to cope with their fears:

Talk About It: Encourage open communication with your child. Let them express their fears and feelings without judgment. Listen attentively and validate their emotions. This helps them feel understood and less alone in dealing with their fears.
Provide Reassurance: Reassure your child that it is normal to have fears and that you are there to protect and support them. Remind them of times they have faced their fears and succeeded. Emphasize that fear is a feeling they can overcome.
Educate and Empower: Sometimes, fears arise from not understanding something. Provide age-appropriate information about what they fear. Books, videos, or visits to child-friendly educational sites can help demystify certain fears, like the dark or thunderstorms. Knowledge often reduces anxiety.
Use Relaxation Techniques: Teach your child simple relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or visualization. These techniques can help them calm their nervous system when they are feeling anxious or scared. Practice these techniques together during calm moments.
Gradual Exposure: For specific fears or phobias, consider gradual exposure. Start with small, manageable steps to face the fear. For example, if a child is afraid of dogs, start with looking at pictures of dogs, then observing dogs from a distance, and eventually meeting a friendly, well-behaved dog in a controlled setting.

WHAT DO CHILDREN TO DO MANAGE
FEAR?

Children can use various techniques to manage their fears effectively.

Here are five helpful techniques for children to cope with their fears:

Deep Breathing: Teach children to take slow, deep breaths when they start feeling scared or anxious.
Instruct them to inhale deeply through their nose and exhale slowly through their mouth. Deep breathing can
help calm their nerves and reduce anxiety.
Positive Self-Talk: Encourage children to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Teach them to
challenge their fearful beliefs by asking questions like, "Is this fear based on facts?" or "Have I faced this fear before and been okay?" Helping them reframe their thoughts can reduce fear's grip on their minds.
Visualization: Guide children in using their imagination to picture a safe and comforting place or scenario. This can help them relax and distract from their fears. For example, they can imagine being on a beautiful beach or in a cozy, safe fort.
Distraction: Suggest engaging activities that divert their attention away from their fears. Playing a favorite game, drawing, reading a book, or solving puzzles can help take their minds off what is scaring them.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Teach children how to relax their bodies systematically. Have them tense and then release different muscle groups, starting from their toes and working up to their head. This technique can promote physical relaxation and reduce tension caused by fear.

F.E.A.R.

One way to look at fear is that you have an unrealistic expectation or a false expectation. Or unrealistic evidence of what is about to happen or about something in your life. And so therefore you are taking information in, and you are
processing it improperly. This leads to what we call a “gap.” And fear is a gap between the known and the unknown. Or between a false expectation and reality. Or false evidence and reality.

F.E.A.R. Management skills are important because often in stressful situations something or someone is convincing us to feel a particular way about something. We need to remind ourselves that psychological fear is only in our mind. When we fail to address fear as real, we are already giving the bad guy an advantage that they may not really have.

The instructors at Excel Chilliwack are excellent. They are great with children, teens and adults. I've seen how much the kids just love their instructors. They are great role models - strict, but caring and loving. The training area is massive and allows plenty of space for training. Highly recommend.
Kumar
My husband and I decided we wanted our girls in something that will teach them discipline, strength, and ways to defend themselves. After looking at a few other places we decided on Excel and it was the best choice ever. The teachers and student helpers are simply amazing and truly care about the children and helping them. We have found our forever home with Excel!
Nikita
I would rate higher if i could. Amazing instructors that actually care about the kids achieving goals and succeeding. I have taken my child to other Karate classes before and it was basically let the kids run around for 30 minutes. Excel is totally different and my child loves going. Thank-you to Adam and his amazing team.
Kristi
We are having the most amazing experience here at Chilliwack Excel Martial Arts. My daughter done a lot of different types of activities but this is by far her favourite.
Every day she she is having so much fun while learning so many new things and making life long friendships! Teachers are amazing and such good role models for the kids.
100% recommend giving them a try, and the first class is free if you are unsure if this is for you or your kid!
Olessya
Excel Martial Arts Chilliwack isn't just a gym. It really is a family, with how much care goes into the students that train. They have proficiently adapted to COVID restrictions and keep their gym in super clean condition. I highly recommend this gym to anyone, such a genuine and positive atmosphere!
Camren