Before we can even talk about strategies for managing anxiety, you need to juxtapose with your infant. “You must look at things from a kid’s perspective,” according to Belleisle, an online therapy clinic. “That way, you’ll be able to understand the daily issues they’re struggling with.”
A good parent is, first and foremost, a good listener. It is vital that you have an open channel of communication with your child so you can help them tackle their problems. That doesn’t mean you should be a helicopter parent. It just means you need a certain level of empathy and proactive behavior.
In this article, we’ll focus on certain strategies that will assist your child in managing anxiety. These tricks are rather practical and intuitive, and you should have trouble implementing them.
Maintain Daily Routines
Like young pets, kids are critters of habit. Experiencing too many fluctuations can cause stress, ultimately leading to anxiety. Keep in mind that your kid needs to adapt to each new situation, which is almost impossible for someone who doesn’t have developed social mechanisms and mental resilience.
When talking about daily routines, we’re also referring to positive habits. For example, a child should go to sleep each day at the same time and sleep for more than 8 hours. They require ample nutrients according to their daily consumption, as well as enough playtime.
Serve as a Role Model
Children absorb all stimuli from their environment, be they positive or negative. They’re especially susceptible to the stress that their parents are experiencing. So, if you’re having many financial or marital hardships, the stress will eventually rub off on your child.
In fact, parents should serve as role models of how to behave in high tension situations. If your first inclination is to start shouting and crying when something bad happens, your child will adopt this model of behavior. The kid will exhibit extreme reactions to adversity, which will fuel its anxiety later on in life.
You must explain to your child that these situations shouldn’t get to them. For example, you should explain to your child that you also experience fear, but you never allow these situations to control you. By showing courage in real-world situations, your child will likely develop a similar character.
Encourage Your Child
Many parents make the mistake of overprotecting their children from situations and people that make them anxious. While this might help in the short run, it prevents a child from facing their fears. In fact, avoidance only increases the feeling of anxiety, as kids don’t develop mechanisms for handling the stress.
You must encourage your infant to face their demons. Although they should face the issue alone, they must also understand that you have their back. In many cases, kids don’t face their fears because there isn’t a safety cushion.
Another good practice is breaking down activity into lots of smaller steps. This will make it much easier to take down tasks one by one. Progressively introduce new steps until a child feels comfortable in a certain situation. Alternatively, you can try all these small tasks individually and eventually combine them.
Use Other’s Examples
The development of anxiety in children is usually connected to parents’ behavior. As mentioned before, overhelping is one of the biggest reasons why more and more kids are struggling with this disorder.
The best way to assist a child is by validating their issue. At the same time, you must explain that you can’t help them with the issue. Otherwise, there’s a chance that a kid might ask for additional validation and extra support to the point where a parent has to resolve the issues for them.
A suitable method in this situation is talking about their feelings. Try to understand what’s going on in their brain and counter it with solid, rational arguments. Furthermore, you must mention that all the other kids are going through the same strife and that you’ve also experienced the same problems growing up.
Teach Them to Cope
The life of small children is filled with excitement and new experiences. They’re constantly having a chance to adopt new skills and knowledge. Unfortunately, anxious kids will not learn at the same pace as their peers. These infants will look to their parents whenever they need to perform a task they’re unfamiliar with.
In some cases, these might be the most absurd tasks, such as dressing up or washing teeth. A good way to deal with this issue is by presenting everything as a game. Alternatively, you should mitigate their worries and provide limited support if and when necessary.
Teach Them Self-Care and Self-Love
Kids who have a high level of self-respect are usually less anxious. They adapt to social situations much better and are less fearful. Furthermore, as they understand their worth, they will not be swayed by their peers as easily as the other children.
The best way to develop confidence is through self-care. Find engaging activities for your child that will teach them how work leads to progress. For example, small children who go to karate will relatively quickly get their first belt. Through an authoritative figure’s confirmation, a child will become more appreciative of its effort and subsequent results.
As for other self-care routines, you should teach them how to eat and sleep properly. Being fit and having enough energy will do wonders for their confidence. It will make them feel great in their bodies, which will lead to an increased sensation of self-love and confidence.
Last Thoughts
Whether a child suffers or not from anxiety is almost entirely up to you. As a parent, it is your main job to get your kid acquainted with the world. Your infant should understand the risks involved with various people and situations so they don’t feel afraid all the time.
More importantly, you must instill confidence in your child so they can tackle various issues when you’re not around. Instead of trying to micromanage your offspring, you should give them the tools to independence.