The Worry Bug
  • Home
  • About
    • Sarina Dickson
    • Julie Burgess-Manning
    • Home and School Scaffolding >
      • Home and School Scaffolding Evidence
      • Low Intensity Resources for Mild to Moderate Anxiety Literature Review
    • Everything Is Going To Be Alright (Video)
    • Making Everything Alright (Videos)
    • Reviews
    • Media
    • Contact Us
  • Rising Tide
    • More For Families
    • More For Schools
    • More For Therapists
    • Tell Me Even More
  • Maia & the Worry Bug
  • Wishes & Worries
  • Blog

7 Tips for Supporting Anxious Kids in Unusual Circumstances

6/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
This week our street has been filled with police cars, officers and forensic teams as a few houses away from ours is a crime scene. This certainly falls into the unforeseen category of life events! The children are understandably concerned and confused. They’re also intrigued and a little bit excited. As adults we know life can be unpredictable. When the unforeseen happens we call on our life experience and support networks to find a way through our trauma. It’s also our job to provide support and share our wisdom and experience with the children in our care.

​When a crime happens in When a crime happens in your
 neighbourhood there are inevitably going to be questions and worries from children. Some children are open about their concerns, their distress is clear and parents can be available with hugs, chats and lingering bedtimes. Other children aren’t so obvious in their need for extra support. Their behaviour may change subtly, but it isn’t always easy to spot. You may notice the following behaviours:

* Confrontational behaviour towards you or siblings

* Reluctance to go to bed, leave the house or be apart from you
* Refusal to follow requests that would normally not be an issue
* A drop or rise in energy and or noise levels
* Inability to concentrate

Parents are experts on their own children and will usually know what works well to calm them but here are some tips from family therapist and registered psychologist Julie Burgess-Manning to help in unusual circumstances:

7 Tips to Help Kids with Anxiety in Unusual Circumstances

1 It’s important to retain routines; get up at the same time, go to bed at the same time, keep mealtimes, school routines, after school activities the same.

2 Turn media off, repetition of disturbing scenes adds to anxiety.

3 Provide a calm and loving response; keep your adult worries away from children. If you are particularly upset: don’t talk about it with your children, get support from other adults you trust.

4 Keep normal disciplinary boundaries. If kids are pushing these, it is important that they know their parents are still in charge - the world is unpredictable enough without these changing.

5 Give reassurance but don’t overdo it. Too much reassurance means there is something to be worried about!

6 Creating narratives to explain what happened can be useful for younger children.

7 Let them talk about it, but don’t let it take over, use play to get their minds off it. Do the things that you and your children enjoy – distraction is a wonderful thing!

Photo Credit: Iain McGregor 'The Press'

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    We all worry and feel anxiety at times in our lives.  Anxiety can impact on children and their families in many ways. The Worry Bug Project seeks to support parents and teachers to recognise and address mild to moderate anxiety.
    ​Sarina Dickson is a parent, author and educator, Julie Burgess-Manning is a parent, author and registered psychologist.

    facebook.com/theworrybug

    Archives

    October 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Parents
    Te Reo
    Therapists
    Worry

    RSS Feed


Sarina Dickson                              Julie Burgess-Manning
hello@webandflow.co                   julie@verifyme.co.nz
0276277437                                     0210584083                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Copyright The Worry Bug Project 2020