Member question:
Worry is setting in at night for my daughter with anxiety….I struggle with what to say to help her conquer her “worry bug” as we call it. I know she has to get through the feelings herself but I don’t know how to help her with it. 🙂
Rachel’s response:
Does she use the name “worry bug” to externalize her feelings? If so, that’s great! That’s one of the first ways to cope with feelings. Next she’ll need to know what to do to calm herself down when she feels the worry bug. Maybe she could talk to it… or maybe she needs to wrap herself in a blanket… or sing a song that makes her feel relaxed. In order for her to conquer the bug in the moment, she’ll need to realize she’s in control of it.
You can also work with her proactively on recognizing how her thoughts affect her feelings.
I just did a brand-new roadmap on that includes a step-by-step process for supporting kids with anxiety… and each step has an audio that’s about 5 minutes long!