Helping Young Children Cope with Anxiety on Their Own

By Sasha Brown

Well-meaning parents of chronically anxious children do their best, but at times this can hinder—rather than help the problem. Parents will anticipate the child’s fears and then try to protect them from it. These are some ways to help a child escape the cycle of being chronically anxious.

Focus on managing the anxiety, rather than eliminating it.

Nobody likes to see a child unhappy, but the best way to overcome the anxiety is not to remove the triggers. The best course of action is to aid them in learning to tolerate their anxiety and in turn function as best that they can, when they are anxious. As a result of this, they will become less anxious over time. Encourage them to explore why they feel the way that they do and discuss what exactly they are afraid of, citing specific reasons and outcomes.

Try to not avoid anxiety triggers.

This might make the child feel better short term, but it reinforces anxiety in the long run. For instance, if a child starts crying when faced with a trigger of their anxiety and the parent picks them up and removes them from the situation or removes the thing that is making them anxious, they will use it as a coping mechanism and can potentially repeat itself.

It is not possible to promise a child that their fears are not realistic, such as failing a test or falling when trying something now. You can, however, let them know that you believe they will be okay, and that they will be able to manage it. As the child faces their fears, the anxiety level will drop the next time they are faced with the trigger. This gives the child confidence that your expectations are realistic and that you won’t ask her to do something that she won’t be able to handle.

Validating a child’s feelings doesn’t always mean that it is an agreement.

It is important to not only listen, but also be empathetic. Help them understand why they’re feeling the way that they are, and encourage them to face their fears. You want them to know that when they face their fears, you’ll be there to support them. Try to avoid asking leading questions, instead ask open ended questions and encourage the child to talk about their feelings.

Try not to reinforce the child’s fears, but be aware of why they feel the way that they do.

Lastly, encourage the child to tolerate their anxiety. Let them know that you appreciate the work that it takes to deal with anxiety in order to complete a task. It is encouraging for the child to live their life and let the anxiety work its course. This is called the “habituation curve” and it will drop over time as the child is exposed to the anxiety trigger. This might not ever drop to zero, and it might not drop as quickly as one may hope for, but it is the process to overcome fears and anxieties.

Credit NaturaNews.com

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