4 Ways to Help Kids Navigate Anxiety
September is here and the new season can often bring about changes in our lives and the lives of our children. A new school year, new classes, new friends and new workload are just a few of the many things that could be adjusting in your child’s life. Whether big or small, these life changes can often cause fear, worry and anxiety in children. According to studies reported in JAMA Pediatrics (Vol. 175, No. 11, 2021), 20.5% of youth worldwide now struggle with anxiety symptoms. These numbers have nearly doubled since the pandemic.
Parent or not, this information is for you! We all have influence on the kids around us and have the opportunity to play a positive role in combatting the mental health crisis among young people. So how do we help our children navigate anxiety and work through it in a healthy way? Keep reading for four practical tips!
Create a Calming Environment
There’s no doubt that when my house is a mess, my desk is hidden under stacks of papers or the dog is running around our house like it’s a race track, stress starts to rise in my soul. Our environment can play a huge role in whether we feel calm or anxious. Sometimes taking time to clean my space or put the dog in his crate for a few hours can be the difference between a chaotic or peaceful day.
Your child may feel anxious when their environment is overstimulating. Try cleaning up their space, reducing clutter and canceling out some noise to create a calm atmosphere in your home. Work with them to make their space peaceful and a place where they can recharge.
Take a Deep Breath
I will never forget one of my friends who is a counselor encouraging me to take deep breaths when I feel anxious. I thought to myself, “There is no way something so trivial will actually make a difference in the way I feel.” But I decided to give it a try and after a few deep breathing exercises, I was amazed at how my spirit immediately felt lighter. Deep breathing increases oxygen levels in the bloodstream and decreases heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and stress level. This strategy can help your child refocus and think clearly. When they are in a state of high stress, encourage them to slow down and take deep breaths through their nose and out of their mouth. Breathe in for 5 seconds, out for 5 seconds. You can even make it fun by telling them to pretend they are smelling a freshly baked cake in the oven or blowing out candles.
Encourage Positive Thinking
In my personal experience with anxiety, I’ve found that one negative thought often leads to another that takes me down a rabbit hole of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. It’s often taken someone else challenging my thoughts and encouraging me to replace them with truth to bring peace to my mind. When your child is anxious, ask them questions about their thoughts. What belief is making them worry? Then, offer a positive thought that is based on truth, evidence or your real-life experience to replace the negative one. Encourage them to think about those positive thoughts whenever they feel worried about that particular situation. Replacing negative thinking patterns can be difficult, but gets easier with time and repetition.
Another strategy used to help replace negative thoughts is imagery. Help your child picture their brain as a jar filled with red and green pieces of candy. The green pieces represent non-threatening memories or thoughts about a person, object or situation. The red candies represent seemingly dangerous or threatening thoughts about a person, object or situation. Help your child add more green candies to the jar of their brain than red ones.
For example, your child may have anxiety around dogs. The red candy in their brain may be thoughts of dogs barking, biting or jumping. The green candy may be thoughts of a cute, sleeping puppy. The goal is to form new non-threatening associations with dogs and add enough green candies to overpower the red ones (https://drbridgetwalker.com/books).
Reach out for Support
I’ve heard it said many times that there’s no training manual for how to raise a child. And it’s true! While there are plenty of resources about anxiety, there is no one perfect book that will give you everything you need. Reaching out for help and learning from others is another way you can assist your child in navigating through anxiety in a healthy way. Our counselors at The Breaking Ground would love to come alongside you in your parenting journey. They will work with you to help meet your child's unique needs in a way that helps them thrive! If you’re interested in talking to a trusted counselor about anxiety, please visit www.thebreakingground.com/contact.
I’d like to leave you with this verse as a final thought. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Overcoming anxiety is possible through Christ, for you and your child.
