Anxiety is a normal response to regular everyday stressors and is actually an important tool for us to deal with things timely and effectively. For example, exam anxiety helps us prepare for exams beforehand and keeps us from procrastination. Similarly, anxiety over our health issues is important for us, as it forces us to consult with healthcare professionals and work on our symptoms and treatment accordingly.
BUT anxiety is not always positive!! It becomes hard to manage and even debilitate when it starts occurring more than normal! Some adults suffer from uncontrollable anxiety, and it significantly affects their work, interpersonal relationships, and everyday life! However, adults are mature, and they know when and how to control their anxiety from overflowing and destroying their behavior; even if it's only superficially, adults have an understanding about handling their emotions!
But how about anxious kids?! How can you expect a kid who doesn't even understand his emotions, to begin with, to control something as inevitable as anxiety? If you've anxious kids, and you're really worried about the way their anxiety is affecting their innocent childhood, RELAX! Today, we're gonna tell you how to teach your kids to take off their anxiety!
5 WAYS TO TEACH KIDS TO CONTROL ANXIETY
1. Don't eliminate stressors; eliminate anxiety!
When teaching kids about managing anxiety, work in the right direction: eliminating the stressors triggering anxiety isn't the ultimate solution; eliminating anxiety is! And by eliminating anxiety, I don't mean to completely alleviate it instantly, but rather teaching your kids to function normally in the presence of stressors. Gradually, the anxiety response will weaken and ultimately disappear.
2. Give him positive (and realistic) expectations!
If your child, let's say, is fearful of exams, DON'T SAY THAT HIS FEAR IS UNREALISTIC. This will only reinforce the fear in the long run, as your child will think you're discrediting his emotions. Instead, tell him that he's going to do well in exams, that his anxiety is only temporary and will subside when he sits down to attempt his exam. Tell him that he's going to be fine, and it's all a matter of managing your emotions!
3. Don't put labels! Never!
You have no idea how labeling works to shape a child's personality and emotions. If you tell your kid, "You're afraid of going to the doctor, or you're anxious about failing the test," what you're essentially doing is reinforcing his belief that he's "scared" and "anxious" about a particular thing. The child will internalize your words, and it'll become a self-accepted part of his personality.
4. Be appreciative of your child's success!
One of the most powerful driving factors behind the change is APPRECIATION AND SUPPORT! You can't expect your child to have a different way about his emotions just because he SHOULD, but because he DESERVES it! Don't make managing anxiety an obligation, but make it seem like a process of self-love, growth, and achievement!
5. Hold meaningful conversations!
In order to teach your child to understand, manage and change his emotions, you need to have meaningful conversations with him! And by meaningful conversations, I mean conversations about understanding emotions, their effect on one's mental and physical health, and strategies to effectively manage them.
Final Word
Anxiety is the monster under your child's best that he's very afraid of, and you can actually help him kill that monster by educating him abou
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