Struggling with an anxious child?

It can be challenging for parents when their child is anxious. It can be hard to know the best way to parent, and how to nurture and care for them as they experience this emotion. So here are some do’s, don’ts and examples when it comes to parenting an anxious child:

DON’T

Dismiss their feelings
Nobody responds well to having their feelings ignored!

Dive straight into problem-solving
Often our natural tendency, but it won’t help kids learn to cope with anxious feelings.

Enable the avoidance
This is a tempting quick-fix, but it only increases the anxiety in the long run.

DO

Help kids identify their emotions
This is the fundamental building block of emotional regulation.

Put effort into empathy and validation
Tackling the problem will go better if you acknowledge their emotions first...connect before you redirect.

Prioritise facing the fear
Gradually confronting the anxiety-provoking situation is key to reducing anxiety over time.

Examples

“Sounds like you’re feeling nervous about presenting at the school assembly this week.”

“You seem really anxious about going to school. That must be awful. Let’s get a treat when I pick you up to celebrate you going.”

“You look worried about performing at the school concert. I get it - It’s huge playing in front of the whole school. Let’s do a practice run with the family tonight.”

To learn more about parenting counselling at Robertson & Ling, please visit our parenting page. To read about our other services, such as marriage or couples counselling, you’re welcome to visit our services page. If you are interested in a free 15 minute phone consultation to discuss your suitability for counselling, call Robertson & Ling on 0437 711 654. Alternatively, you can book a counselling appointment here.