How you can Help Anxious Kids Stop Worrying & Shift their mindset with Positive affirmations.
Having an anxious child can be difficult for parents, particularly when they don’t understand the reason for the anxiety. Some children are naturally more anxious and seem to worry a lot more than others. It is often difficult to know how to help anxious kids stop worrying and when to worry about their worrying. Because realistically, we all worry sometimes right?
When your child is worrying too much and their anxiety starts getting in the way of their happiness, experiences or abilities, it might be time to consider how you can help anxious kids stop worrying. I have been dabbling in water colours lately so I painted this rainbow frame and came up with this idea to help anxious kids stop worrying by wiping their worries away. Introducing the wipe away your worries frame.
How does it work?
This is similar to the concept of worry dolls, children can tell it their worries. They can write a worry on it, release their worries out of their mind and stop dwelling. If children learn to evaluate the worry, wipe it away and replace it with a positive thought or desire, they can shift their anxious thinking habits. The positive affirmation replaces the anxious and negative mindset. A negative mindset can act as a vicious cycle for anxious kids that fuels their worries. Thus, the concept of this frame is to encourage a positive mindset while teaching children logical thought processes.
All you need to do to help anxious kids stop worrying is to print the A4 rainbow frame, place it inside a glass picture frame and its ready to be used with any dry erase white board marker.
Click HERE for your A4 Wipe away your worries Frame.
How to help anxious kids stop worrying with the Frame
- Place in a glass frame
- Display somewhere with a dry erase white board marker
- Write a worry on it
- Evaluate the worry – Why are you worrying about this?
- Wipe it off
- Think of something positive that can replace the worry.
- Write the positive affirmation in its place
- Recite the Positive Affirmation and smile
- Leave the positive words in its place and look at it again if needing a reminder.
The Evaluation Process.
The evaluation process encourages logical thought in children and can help anxious kids stop worrying by weighing up the seriousness of the worry. You can initiate problem solving thought patterns by asking them questions… Are they learning anything from worrying? How big is their worry? Is it serious and is it something a parent could help with? Is it having a negative impact on their abilities? What would they rather be thinking?
Evaluating is something children should be taught as it encourages logical thought and the ability to weigh up the seriousness of the worry. Worrying is a defense mechanism that is something we all do to protect ourself from uncomfortable situations. Children also need to learn to differentiate from when it is normal, compared to when it is having a negative impact on their quality of life.
This process further helps children consider when to reveal worries and when to seek help. There are anxious kids who are worrying for serious reasons, for instance if they are worried to attend school it could be because they are getting bullied or if they are worried about visiting a certain place, it could be because something terrible happened in that place.
The idea of the wipe away your worries frame is not to simply wipe away and dismiss a worry, but to instead help children with the thought process in evaluating worries. It is through this process that children learn to cope and deal with anxious thoughts at a more complex level of cognition.
The Positive affirmation.
The positive affirmation that they write and recite as a replacement, helps change the anxious mindset and shift the child’s thought patterns. Reciting positive affirmations can have a desirable effect to the brain and their ability to suceed. By thinking positive and engaging in positive self-talk the child is increasing their desire to do better and be happier within them self.
The child can replace anxious worrying thoughts with something that will enhance their self esteem and willingness to try new things. In time this positive self-talk becomes an outwards display of confidence.
Creating a positive mindset in children.
A positive mindset can spark a new attitude that discovers inner strengths and abilities, talents and passions, new capabilities and skills, that the child might have previously been too worries to even consider.
These positive affirmations need to come from within the child though. They cant be something a parent wants for the child. It is like enrolling your child in a football team when they are timid or like to work alone and enjoy creative arts. Children can wish for and like something totally different to what you expect.
Hence, positive affirmations need to be based upon the anxious child desires, dreams, wishes and interests. To create a positive mindset the child must first evaluate their worry with logical thought and consider their own personal desires in order to feel confidence and believe in themself.
Here is an example of the process: worrying about doing a speech in front of class. Evaluation of the worry – Yes I am nervous but I do know all the people in my class, yes I don’t like them all staring at me but they are listening to what I am saying so they have to stare, yes it makes me nervous but I do want good marks for my presentation.
Therefor to this individual child the desire to get good marks might promote personal growth and create a positive affirmation like… “I can talk about this subject all day. I am good at this speech. I have practised and worked so hard, so I will do well at my presentation.”
This can work for adults too. Give it a go… if you are feeling down about something, write your self a positive message.
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Do you have any tips to help anxious kids stop worrying too much?
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Thanks for stopping by and I hope to See you again soon.
Renee xx
trixi symonds says
What a sweet idea!!
Renee says
Aww thanks Trixi 🙂
Cindy@YKOT says
Lovely idea! I think this can really help some kids (and adults). Will share on FB.
Renee says
Thank you Cindy.
I appreciate you sharing it. I think it could help adults too, just getting it out of your head can help 🙂