The world can be a frightening place, and many kids may have valid reason to be concerned. Nevertheless, numerous children can stress much more than is practical for any given situation. It is very challenging for parents to understand how to assist children in dealing with anxiety.

Anxiety is not always a terrible thing. An individual could be nervous if they are in a scary predicament, for example. Anxiety is used as protective mechanism, but anxiety in excess or unsuitable anxiety is not necessarily healthy and can impact one’s life.

Incorporate these approaches on how to assist children in dealing with anxiety:

1. Be there for support. It can be exasperating when your son or daughter is continually worrying about things that may seem meaningless or trivial. However, the anxiety that they are feeling is just as real to them as your stresses are to you. You do not get to choose the feelings or qualms of other individuals.
   
   • Support your child by letting them know that you are sensitive to their current emotions and are always there to be of support to them.
     
2. Try not to work up a future situation before it occurs. If you know that your child worries more about going to a doctor’s appointment, it may not be the best to have an in-depth conversation about their appointment weeks in advance. Having a conversation, the day of an appointment would be simply fine. For some individuals, it might be even more productive to avoid a pre-emptive conversation at all.
   
   • Providing excess notice can potentially open more time to stress. Attempt to consider how much time your kid requires to keep their anxiety in a controlled state. There are certain children that do appreciate a little extra processing time to what is going to occur.
     
3. Have healthy discussions, avoid lecturing. Inquire from your child what they may be stressing about and why that may be occurring. Have a conversation about why these potential fears are or are not valid. In other words, look for signals to validate or disprove the reason for the stressors.
   
   • If the fear is valid, help them to plan together to manage that anxiety about the issue. They need to oversee this development, because how we handle stress and anxiety varies, so your methods may not be the most suitable methods for your child.
     
   • If the fear is not lawful, assist your child to trust the material about a situation they found that disproves the motive for their anxiety.
     
4. Assist your child to be more in the moment and present time. We can only stress and worry when we project our consideration into the future and imagine potential negative outcomes. This is in most situations, a habit that has been learned.
   
   • Educate your child to live more in the moment and to be more mindful of their surroundings. Illustrate to your child that it is more effective to focus on what is true, rather than the “what ifs”.
     
5. Do a home assessment. Is your family’s situation of living stressful for your child? Do you and your child’s other parent demonstrate healthy lines of communication, or is there more negative tones in your communication?
   
   • Children might appear that they may not listening, but they are surprisingly aware at figuring out what is going on and may be a warning sign that they may not want to involve themselves in negative conversations.
     
6. Avoid avoidance. You may think you are being good if you assist your child to avoid all situations that may cause them to feel stressed, but you may be the one who is contributing to their anxiety.
   
   • Each time that your child is permitted to avoid the situation because of their anxiety, there is a portion of their brain that says, “If I make them feel anxious, we can be excused from facing stressful situations.”
     
   • The brain adapts and processes quickly with what works. This can amplify the anxiety with future occurrences. The brain will continue ramping up the intensity until it gets to a level to invoke an emotion.
     
   • Being avoidant to a stressful situation may bring relief in each situation, which is extremely rewarding at that time. The urge to avoid only becomes stronger as it is reinforced.
     
   • Be empathetic and supportive but try and resist the temptation to have them face those situations.
     
7. Seek out counseling. It is exceedingly difficult for a guardian to effectively assist a child with moderate to severe anxiety. It is more likely that an unbiased mental health expert can be useful. Find a therapist or counselor that specializes in children of your child’s age and advanced training in managing anxiety disorders.
   

It is very typical for children to suffer from anxiety, yet challenging for parents to understand how to assist children in dealing with anxiety. They are under a ton of social scrutiny at school, and kids can be cruel. They have little control over their lives. Many aspects of their lives are controlled by parents or educators.

If your child is suffering from anxiety, it can be upsetting to witness them stressing all the time. It can also be upsetting when their worries seem meaningless to yourself. Be supportive and patient and utilize a trained unbiased professional if your efforts prove to be not optimal.

At A Beautiful Soul Holistic Counseling, our counselors and social workers are expertly educated in Advanced Mental Health Integrative Medicine treatment approaches that aim to incorporate the whole individual, which is vital in addressing the underlying ailments that may be limiting their optimal health and wellness of those in the Chandler, Gilbert, and surrounding Greater Phoenix Area. This means that taking a well-rounded holistic method to addressing aspects of a client’s current situation and look at factors to help improve their mind, body, and soul.

Being able to deliver a holistic and integrated treatment enables our counselors and social workers to appreciate that our emotional issues do not exist entirely by itself and that being able to treat the whole person can lead to more lasting and effective results. Check out the rest of our website for more information on how we can be a part of your healing journey.