There is an increasing number of anxious children in today’s world. While many people try to give reasons as to why this is, nobody really knows the cause. Of course, every child is different and needs to be parented differently, but these are some tips/techniques you can use to parent an anxious child. If you are a foster parent or if you have adopted, there is a pretty good chance your child will experience anxieties of some kind. Childhood trauma is known to induce anxiety later in life. It’s just a hazard of the job! We hope you can use these three techniques to guide your kiddo.
1. Memorize some phrases to calm them down! You’ve probably figured out by now that children simply aren’t very rational. They don’t follow the logic, they follow feelings and emotions. Most children would rather DO something or HEAR something, rather than talk it out. Here are some phrases you can use. “I love you, we are safe”, “I want you to repeat after me, ‘I can do this. I can do this, I can do this'”, “We are together an unstoppable team!”. Find what works best for your child, and use it!
2. Excitement… Anxiety is almost always the fear of something to come in the future. In order to counteract that fear, help associate the feeling of excitement with the future. You can deflect the thing they are fearful about by bringing something else up, or you can help them to look on the bright side of the problem. “I can’t wait until (fill in the blank)”.
3. Sensory Imaging. Encourage your child to use their imagination. “Close your eyes and picture a _____”. You can get silly with this. It a great way to teach your child to go into their mind and take control. Have them picture something silly, or even have them picture a solution to whatever their problem is! This can be a great way for you to build your relationship with the child through a shared experience. Imagine together!
We hope these tips help! Make sure to like our Facebook page for more blogs like this one. Comment some other techniques that you use!