(2.5-minute read)
Expanding Your Anti-Anxiety Toolbox:
Strategies for Every Kind of Mind
In continuation of last week’s blog, it’s important to remember that there’s no single anxiety strategy that works for everyone. That’s why it’s so helpful to have a whole “bag of tricks” — a variety of approaches to suit different situations and personalities.
The CBT Approach: Change Your Thoughts
One common and well-known strategy is based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In this method, we teach children to change their thoughts — to notice negative (“red”) thoughts and replace them with more helpful (“green”) thoughts.
For example, a child thinking, “Maybe my mother will forget to pick me up from school today,” can practice switching that thought to:
“My mother has always picked me up from school. If she’s a few minutes late, it’s probably because of traffic. But she’ll be here in a few minutes. In the worst-case scenario, the secretary in the school office will call her if she sees that I’m still at school and it’s really late. I’m definitely not going to sleep at school tonight.”
The Acceptance Approach: Welcoming the Worry
Instead of fighting anxious thoughts, children can learn to accept them — like background noise or a passing train that after a few days, you don’t even notice or hear anymore.
Here are some fun Acceptance strategies for younger (and older) children:
- 1. Make a Silly Rhyme: “I’m worried my shoelace will snap — maybe it’ll do a dance and clap!”
- 2. Sing a Funny Song: Turn the worry into a goofy tune, like “I’m worried about spiders… but they’re all in diapers!”
- 3. Draw a Silly Picture: If they’re scared of monsters, draw one with roller skates and a fancy gown.
- 4. Worry in a Silly Voice: Encourage children to say their worry in a robot voice, pirate accent, or whisper. This playful approach can help them feel less afraid.
- 5. Worry in a Different Language: Encourage children to say their worry in another language — real or made-up — to make it feel less scary and more silly.
- 6. Worry Time: Set aside 10 minutes each day for your child to talk about or write down their worries. Knowing they have “worry time” can help them postpone anxious thoughts during the day.
- 7. Write a Haiku: Turn the worry into a little poem that is funny and silly.
- 8. Create an Over-The-Top News Story: Exaggerate the worry even more than the child’s original worry. Make it as ridiculous as possible!
Finding the Right Fit
Some children may find comfort in replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, while others may benefit more from humor, creativity, or simply letting the worry exist without resistance. Experimenting with different techniques can help children build a personalized toolbox of strategies — one they can reach for when anxiety strikes.
By encouraging flexibility and creativity, we empower children to approach anxiety with confidence, knowing they have multiple ways to manage their feelings. After all, anxiety may show up uninvited, but we can always decide how we want to respond.
Have a fun and funny week!