August 15, 2020

Quote of the Week

"Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along listening to all the things you can't hear and not bothering." - Winnie The Pooh

What To Do (and Not Do) When Children Are Anxious

"When children are chronically anxious, even the most well-meaning parents can fall into a negative cycle and, not wanting a child to suffer, actually exacerbate the youngster’s anxiety. It happens when parents, anticipating a child’s fears, try to protect her from them. Here are pointers for helping children escape the cycle of anxiety.

The goal isn’t to eliminate anxiety, but to help a child manage it. None of us wants to see a child unhappy, but the best way to help kids overcome anxiety isn’t to try to remove stressors that trigger it. It’s to help them learn to tolerate their anxiety and function as well as they can, even when they’re anxious. And as a byproduct of that, the anxiety will decrease or fall away over time." - [read more]

Reading Corner

Title: A Little SPOT of Anxiety: A Story About Calming Your Worries
By: Diane Alber
Ages: All ages

"Anxiety comes from feelings of being worried, scared, or anxious. And although these feelings are quite common and sometimes they can help protect us, they can also get TOO BIG and overwhelming! When these feelings become anxiety and it can prevent a child from doing what he/she wants and and/or needs to do, which can make anxiety a disability. This story addresses how anxiety can affect all ages and can show up in all different situations. The Anxiety SPOT (Gray SPOT) creates a visual representation so that a child can see when it's gets too big, and how to shrink it back to a PEACEFUL SPOT.

It offers creative strategies for children to help cope with anxiety as well. 
From the tip of my finger, to the center of my palm,
I can do this! I can be calm!
This worry grew too big, and cannot stay,
take a deep breath, and blow it away!

The goal of this book is to give children the tools needed to identity what emotion they are feeling and how to properly manage that emotion." - Pubilshers

Be the Change

Covid times have heightened our sense of anxiety in so many ways and directions. This week take some time and find those little pockets of moments where you are actually able to be with your little SPOT of anxiety. Give yourself a pat on the back for making it thus far - all of you as a family. If inspired, do share your stories of walking past these clouds of anxiety!