Befriending Anxiety to Reach Potential: Strategies to Empower Our Gifted Youth

Abstract

Gifted students can encounter anxiety-provoking stressors throughout their day. Developing effective anxiety management skills allows them to better navigate these challenges. Concepts from neuroscience help us better understand responses to anxiety and can assist gifted youth and those working with them in recognizing how and when to best apply anxiety management strategies. This article reviews these concepts and integrating them into the classroom environment to assist with this learning process. In addition, it examines an evidenced-based anxiety management intervention that has been found to be efficacious for gifted youth, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Results of recent EFT research are reviewed and the steps to learning EFT are outlined.

Emotional Response to Testing in Gifted and Highly Gifted Children

“…Previous research had found that the more competent students felt more confident than the others about their performance after being assessed on their reading comprehension (e.g., Mirandola et al, 2018), but this phenomenon had not been thoroughly studied in the case of gifted children. We identified a clear pattern that contrasts with the notion that gifted children are more sensitive, perfectionist and critical (e.g., Gaesser, 2018), and consequently experience more negative emotions during a test. On the contrary, our gifted children reported that they worried less before the test and felt calmer during the test than the other children reported.…”

“…Gaesser (2018) argued that there are many anxiety-inducing stressors in the everyday experience of gifted individuals (see also Cross & Cross, 2015; C. G. Goetz, 2003; Harrison & Van Haneghan, 2011).…”

“…Reference to the construct of overexcitability has been criticized (Vuyk et al, 2016), but it continues to influence opinions in the field of giftedness, not only of families and practitioners but also of researchers (e.g., Ackerman, 1997;Chang & Kuo, 2019). Gaesser (2018) argued that there are many anxiety-inducing stressors in the everyday experience of gifted individuals (see also Cross & Cross, 2015;C. G. Goetz, 2003;Harrison & Van Haneghan, 2011).…”

The Mediating Effect of Symptoms of Anxiety on the Relationship between Appraisal and Teaching Competence

“…The test of relationship between symptoms of anxiety and teaching competence showed a positive significant relationship. The result on the test of relationship between symptoms of anxiety and teaching competence is aligned with the viewpoints of Gaesser (2018) which states that a high level of anxiety can be a good reference of motivation for a person to be at his or her best. This, in turn fuels the teacher to do better in his or her job (Koçak & Seçer, 2018).…”

The Emotional Freedom Technique: Finally, a Unifying Theory for the Practice of Holistic Nursing, or Too Good to Be True?

“…The diversity of psychological problems successfully treated include, but is not limited to, anxiety (Gaesser, 2014), addictions (Church & Brooks, 2014), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), both individual and large-scale trauma events (Boath, Stewart, & Rolling, 2014; Church & Brooks, 2014; Church et al, 2013; Church & Feinstein, 2012; Church, Pina, Reategui, & Brooks, 2012; Connolly & Sakai, 2012; Dunnewold, 2014; Gallo, 2013; Gurret, Caufour, Palmer-Hoffman, & Church, 2012; Hartung & Stein, 2012; Karatzias et al, 2011; Lake, 2014; Robson & Robson, 2012; Sheldon, 2014; Stein & Brooks, 2011; Zhang, Feng, Xie, Xu, & Chen, 2011), dyslexia (McCallion, 2012), academic performance (Boath, Stewart, & Carrier, 2013; Jain & Rubino, 2012), weight loss and cravings (Church & Brooks, 2010; Stapleton, Sheldon, & Porter, 2012; Stapleton, Sheldon, Porter, & Whitty, 2010), depression (Church, De Asis, & Brooks, 2012; Stapleton, Church, Sheldon, Porter, & Carlopio, 2013; Stapleton, Devine, Chatwin, Porter, & Sheldon, 2014), and phobias (Baker & Siegel, 2010; Salas, Brooks, & Rowe, 2011; Temple & Mollon, 2011), including fear of public speaking (Fitch, Schmuldt, & Rudick, 2011; Jones, Thornton, & Andrews, 2011; Schoninger & Hartung, 2010). The use of EFT to intervene with physical conditions is just as widespread and diverse and includes diverse problems such as psoriasis (Hodge, 2011), seizure disorders (Swingle, 2010), fibromyalgia (Brattberg, 2008), headache (Bougea et al, 2013), and sports performance enhancement (Church, 2009; Church & Downs, 2012; Llewellyn-Edwards & Llewellyn-Edwards, 2012; Rotheram, Maynard, Thomas, Bawden, & Francis...…”