5 Ways To Help Your Child Manage Anxiety
“Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.”
As a parent, the last thing I want to see is my child struggle. Like many other parents, I often have the urge to remove anything or anyone that could cause my child discomfort or anxiety. Thankfully, my training as a psychotherapist has prevented from doing this, because I know that discomfort is inevitable and that the more we we experience and successfully manage our own discomfort, the better we become at handling it in the future. While every child benefits from different tools and strategies to lessen their discomfort and anxiety, below are five effective ways to teach your child to better manage his/heranxiety.
Teach your child deep breathing. Slow, deep breaths regulate the body and calm the nervous system.
Ask your child if the thing making him nervous will matter in 5 hours, 5 days, 5 weeks? In most cases, it won't matter much after the fact. Remembering that can ease anxiety.
Remind your child of his/her previous accomplishments. I often remind kids that they have already shown how strong and capable they are in the past. I then emphasize the importance of carrying that confidence with them as they move forward.
Ask your child how much time he/she spends worrying about him/herself during the game or event that is causing him/her to feel anxiety. Remind him/her that most people are also primarily focused on themselves. Reminding children that others are often so consumed by what is going on in their own lives can be really helpful with putting things in perspective.
Encourage your child to see anxiety inducing things as opportunities to challenge him/herself. Talk with him/her about how to handle challenges and how good it feels after accomplishing difficult things.