Anxiety and Change - our hot tips!

It is often said that the only constant in life is change! And sometimes with change comes anxiety.

We asked 3 of our KidsLink experts to provide their hot tips for helping children and families with anxiety and change.

Parenting to help a child with anxiety

Michelle Holt – Stress Knot

Michelle’s 3 hot tips
  1. Kids with anxiety need to be taken seriously
  2. Kids with anxiety need structure and routine
  3. Kids with anxiety need to be gradually de-sensitised to the issue

Anxiety is a total body response which involves physiological (body), psychological (mind) and behavioural (actions) reactions to something which is perceived as a threat.

It is upsetting to see your child suffering but try to resist the urge to fix every problem. Focus on helping your child to solve age specific problems. Children who learn to accept life’s ups and downs, put feelings into words, calm down and self regulate become more prepared to manage future stresses.

How to handle transitions with confidence

Jennifer Pollard – The Kids Coach

Jen’s hot tips
  1. Prepare – familiarise, plan and organise
  2. Equip – skills, strategies and tools for the job
  3. Support – presence, perspective, positivity and problem solving

Change is an ongoing and constant feature of life. There are many factors that influence adaptability to change, including temperament and past experience.

Anxiety is a normal response to change and transitions for both parents and children. There are many things we can do to make transitions smoother and help children handle them with greater confidence.

How changes beyond our control can be positively managed

Diane McKinstry – REAL coaching

Diane’s hot tips
  1. support your children through major changes with care, confidence and consistency
  2. your needs are important too, especially holistic self – care
  3. seek out community support and professional guidance