Keep your child’s anxiety levels to a minimum with these tips!
Does your child suffer from high levels of anxiety? Children have all sorts stressors in their lives. For many children, starting school is a terrifying endeavor. It important that anxious children develop coping mechanisms for when they are feeling especially anxious. There are several steps you can do as a parent to help calm your child’s anxiety levels. Check out the following tips!
Encourage Them To Face Their Fears
There are all sorts of things that could be stressing out your child. For example, maybe your child is especially afraid of interacting with other children. If this is the case, they may need a nudge in the right direction. You can see if they would allow you to sign them up for a recreational sport or club to give them more opportunities to interact with others.
Offer Rewards
Since facing your fears is one of the best ways to overcome anxiety, it can be incredibly beneficial to offer rewards to children if they step outside their comfort zone. For example, if your child is adamant about not participating in an activity, you can offer them a prize if they give it a try. You may be amazed what you can get your child to do if they have something to work towards.
Practice Deep Breathing
One of the best ways to relax in a stressful situation is to take a few deep breaths. This an excellent that you can use throughout your entire life when obstacles seem to be pulling you down. Every child should learn how to take deep breaths so they can use the strategy whenever they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed with stressors in their life. For that reason, it is a good idea to practice deep breathing exercises together with your child.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (202) 561-1110 (Washington, D.C. office) or (301) 577-4333 (Lanham office). Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.