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In today’s world, adults and children alike have their fair share of worry. If you have a child who suffers from anxiety, it can be hard to help them encounter the world. We love this piece Mindfulmazing wrote about how to help a child with anxiety by changing what you say.

Our inclination when our child is anxious is often to reassure them by saying, “It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it,” or “Calm down, it’s ok.” But, as the article points out, that may not be the best approach.

“Now just imagine: You are a young child, you don’t understand your confusing feelings, they feel big, you are overwhelmed with fear, no one seems to understand. You look around and wish you could be as carefree as your classmates and siblings and you wonder what’s wrong with you. Your parents just say, “calm down,” and instead of feeling better you just feel naughty, and lonely.

We aren’t teaching our kid’s life-long coping skills. We need to help them manage their anxiety and anger so that they can thrive as an adult because anxiety isn’t going anywhere. It doesn’t disappear, but we can learn to cope.”

The article is very clear and specific about the options you have for changing your language and giving your child tools to help. For example, tip 3 suggests you offer to take five deep breaths with your child. Sound simple? It is! And effective.

“Perhaps you’ve noticed that when you inhale a big, slow, deep breath that you feel calmer, more relaxed and less anxious?

Well, our kids need this big breath, too.

When we are anxious, we tense up and less oxygen gets to our brains. This makes it hard to think clearly. A breathing break will give back a sense of calmness and control.”

We love these phrases that MindfulMazing has developed. Check out the full article to read the tips and see if these can help you help your child. Find the full text here: 17 Phrases to Calm an Anxious Child!

If Mindfulmazing’s article was helpful, you might also appreciate 5 Tips for Helping Your Child Deal with Emotions at Home, and Recognizing and Reconciling Sensory Overload.

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