Children and Anxiety

There is such a worrying trend with children and anxiety. Unfortunately the world seems unstable at the moment, the current climate is unknown territory.

Ways we can help our children if they suffer anxiety is

*to listen to them, what is bothering them, don't preach on how they can fix it, just listen to them, whatever it is, it is real to them.

*have routines and boundaries, sometimes we can struggle to put boundaries and routines in if we are really worried about our children. They need this more than ever when they are stressed.

*Listen to the way you are talking about the worries in the world, you are their strong person, if you sound like you are worried, then they are going to get worried.

*Get out in the fresh air, if it is cold, rug up and get out in the elements, the sun, the wind, whatever it is, get some fresh air.

*Listen to the way you talk to yourself, your child will be modelling behaviour, if we berate ourselves we are giving our child permission to do the same.

*Is there someone who can become a mentor for your child, look around, who do they admire, who do you admire, in your circle there is probably some real treasures.

*Don't aim for immediate solutions, aim for connections.

*Breathing, this is often taken for granted. How is your breathing as an adult, nice and deep and relaxed. Maybe google some breathing exercises that you can do together. Effective breathing can stop the anxiety from taking hold.

*Meditation or guided stories, you can download these, simple stories that get the brain engaged into something else rather than worry.

*If you as the parent suffer with anxiety then see what you can do using the above tips to get your anxiety under control. What is it you need? An anxious parent can make a anxious child and so the cycle can go.

*If the problem is bigger than you can manage, enlist some help, either family, friends or maybe a trip to the doctor.

Take care