Is Your Child Anxious About Something at Home? What can you do?
If the following responses are used by parents when student worries first arise at home, student anxiety significantly diminishes, and the child feels more confident to manage their worry:
- Maintain your own composure rather than mirror your child’s anxiety or worries.
- Recognise that they have a worry and ask them to describe where they feel it. Is it in their chest, shoulders or stomach? Somewhere else? identifying these sensations helps them to manage it better as it focuses on a body part feeling and puts distance from the anxiety.
- Deep belly breath to regulate emotions. (Inhale and fill the tummy so it sticks out, 2, 3, 4, hold 2, 3, 4, exhale so the tummy deflates 2,3,4 and repeat) This physically calms the central nervous system.
- A splash of cold water on the face can also help.
- Acknowledge the emotion/worry so your child knows you understand and that you believe it is a worry for them.
- If your child is worried about something school related, something the teacher or another student said or did that does not necessarily sound right to you, remember that thoughts are thoughts, not facts, so challenge unhelpful or unproductive thoughts your child may be having and ask questions to clarify.
- Guide your child to a solution rather than solve it for them (Let’s talk to your teacher/friend about this, let’s ask some more questions).
- Don’t allow your child to avoid the worry, as this doesn’t help resolve the anxiety.
Sometimes children just want to get something off their chest. Try to find out if they just want to vent or do they need adult help to solve the worry.
If they are still feeling anxious or worried, nature is a great anxiety balm. Take them outside for a walk or to the park. Touch the grass, see the sky, or sit in the sun.
Or allow them to do something else such as call a friend, read a book, hug you, play outside or help you cook dinner.
Remember, you are the barometer that your child will measure their anxiety against. If you are calm and adopt a ‘we can solve this’ approach, they will too.
Also try these ideas on emotion coaching when your child has big feelings.
Anxiety Resource Websites For Parents
Whole Hearted School Counselling
Struggling with Anxiety? | Dealing with Anxiety | Kids Helpline
Kids Health Information : Anxiety – primary school aged children (rch.org.au)
Programs for Kids
The BRAVE Program is an interactive, online program for the prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety. The programs are free and provide ways for children and teenagers to better cope with their worries. There are also programs for parents.
Login | BRAVE Self-Help Program (uq.edu.au)
Smiling Minds: A series of calming activities and audio recordings for children based on mindfulness meditation.
Kids Care Pack Getting Started — Smiling Mind
Cool Kids Online is an online program that is designed to help children who have fears and worries that bother them or get in the way of having fun. The program teaches children new skills to help them face their fears and worries, feel more confident, and have more fun.
The Magic Coat is a tool that has been developed to help create confident, calm, and caring kids who know how to problem solve, feel safe and manage their emotionsappropriately so that they have good mental health and well-being. The school has multiple copies of this resource for parents to borrow.
Help your child manage anxiety and become more emotionally resilient. This free, full toolkit of tips and ideas really works!
Online parenting course – help kids overcome anxiety | Triple P (triplep-parenting.net.au)