Anxiety and stress seem to have become an inseparable part of our lives today, and what’s worse is the fact that it is affecting so many of the younger generation too. If you’re a mom of an anxious child who can relate to this, here are ways on how to deal with child anxiety.
1. Encourage Positive Thinking
A child with anxiety tend to get mentally stuck in the worst case scenarios that their minds have crafted. Help your little one get out of it by shifting their thinking patterns towards the more positive side, and by getting them to look at the silver lining of everything that may seem wrong at face value.
2. Try to Cope
How to cope with a child with anxiety? One of the most common mistakes that most parents tend to make is that they try to get rid of their kid’s anxiety desperately and do everything that they can, which only aggravates the problem and makes the kid feel bad about themselves. Instead, trying to help the child cope with anxiety and increase the tolerance can bring about a more positive change.
3. Help your Child Take Charge To Deal With Anxiety
How to deal with an anxious child? A lot of anxious kids respond well when they are allowed to take charge over some little things in their life. It helps them give that feeling of establishing control over their life, which can help them escape the victim mentality in a much easier way.
4. Don’t Avoid the Triggers
This may seem counterintuitive, but it actually works. Avoiding the triggers can only worsen the anxiety problem, and may have only short term benefits. Whenever your child has anxiety or feels anxious due to a particular situation, be there for them, but don’t remove them from the situation. Help your child develop their own coping mechanism.
5. Set Realistic Expectations to Help Your Child Deal with Anxiety
During an anxiety phase, you may be tempted to have your child unrealistic positive expectations. You may want to assure your kid that he won’t fall during their ice skating practise, but these false hopes may not last long. Instead, the next time your child is anxious, tell them that you won’t ask them to do something that they can’t handle.
6. Get your Child to Climb the Ladder
If your child is intimidated by a huge goal, help them break it down and process it in much better way by this technique called laddering. Simply have them break down the big thing into sizeable chunks, and give them a pat on the back for the step that they took to boost their confidence.
7. Stop Reassuring
During a phase of anxiousness, you may want to reassure your child, but make sure you don’t overdo it. Help them understand and evaluate his emotions, where they stem from, and encourage them to develop the quality of ‘letting go.’
I hope you enjoyed these ways on how to deal with child anxiety and some of the most effective tips and tricks to manage anxiety and stress in your child that will also help with toddler tantrums, and teach them to become more calm and relaxed.
