Holy cow, friends... the world can seem really scary and overwhelming right now! It can be especially difficult for kids to cope with worries about COVID and other big fears in this unprecedented time. Below are some ideas to help kids cope with worrying.
Worry Time
One way to help kids compartmentalize their worries is to set aside a time of the day for "worry time". During worry time, they have the space to process any worries they are experiencing, and they have 15-30 minutes to sit with a trusted grown-up and talk about any worries they have been dealing with that day. During worry time, try to limit distractions such as TV or other siblings needing your attention as much as possible. During worry time, you can also clarify with your child if they want you to listen or solve, meaning do they want you to hold space to talk about their worries, or do they want to problem-solve ways to address the worries? Setting this intention at the start can help your child get what they need out of worry time.
Worry Box
Kids, like adults, can often get stuck with reoccurring thoughts or anxieties. One way to help your child break the cycle is to create a worry box together! You can make a worry box from an old shoebox, tissue box, or any other box you have on hand. Consider decorating the box together with construction paper, stickers, or markers. Once you create the box, encourage your child to draw a picture of their worries or write down their worries on pieces of paper and put them in the box. Once the worry is in the box, they can take a break from thinking about the worry for a while, and the box can be a great tool to use in addition to worry time. Your child can put their worries in the box throughout the day and take them out to talk with you about them during worry time.
Relaxation
Mindfulness and relaxation can be challenging concepts to teach kids. A great way to encourage mindfulness in younger children is to use visuals such as a picture of a flower and a candle. When the child breathes in, they can imagine smelling a beautiful flower. When they breathe out, they can imagine blowing out a candle. In addition to breathing in and out, muscle relaxation can also help when a child worries throughout the day. They can tighten the muscles in their body as tight as they can for a few seconds and then release the tension as much as they can. This can be repeated until the tension in their body is gone.
Distraction
Worrying can interrupt a lot of fun daily activities. It might sound silly, but you can teach your child that they have control over what thoughts they focus on. You can encourage your child to say "GO AWAY WORRIES!" in their head or out loud. Then you can work together to find an activity that can distract them such as kicking a soccer ball around or playing with a favorite toy. At first, the worries may come back and try to bother them again. Over time, the worries will come back less and less, and they'll have more activities that they can use to distract them.
I hope you find these ideas helpful! Comment your favorite below:
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