Dyslexia and Anxiety

“It’s not just the dyslexia, it’s the anxiety around the dyslexia”. A few weeks ago a client of mine made this comment and it has stuck with me.  So many dyslexics struggle not only with the effects of having dyslexia;  but also with anxiety about their dyslexia.

Anxiety Shows Up All the Time

-When playing a game and someone asks you to read a card out loud

-Misspelling a word on your boss’s card

-Switching papers in school for editing or grading

-Giving a presentation in front of your company

-When the coach tells you to play the right midfield position and you can’t figure out which side of the field that actually is.

Research

Research tells us that 30% of people with a learning disability also have some type of anxiety disorder. Anxiety can literally shut the brain down and make learning, thinking and processing more difficult. Constant anxiety can leave the body stuck in a state of fight/flight/freeze every time thoughts around dyslexia come up. For many dyslexics, the though a book alone can cause their body to go into fight/flight/freeze.

How to Help

• Know the signs of anxiety, what they look like in you or your child
• Be aware of situations that may cause high anxiety and help plan ahead for them.
• Practice calming your body and brain down before you find yourself in an anxious situation. Using your 5 senses can help to calm your body down, figure out which ones work best for you ahead of time and implement those when you feel the anxiety coming on. Exercises such a deep breathing or meditation will help to calm down anxiety as well.

Get help today!

 An important part of what Brain Breakthrough Therapy does is to help calm down the body and brain and take it out of fight/flight/freeze. 

We work with the body to calm down the nervous system and lower anxiety, so that it becomes easier to learn and process information! 

Sign up for a free consultation today to learn more about how our work can change your life! https://www.thebrainbreakthrough.com/contact-us