Kids, Anxiety, and the Holiday Season
Kids are supposed to be happy and excited during the holidays, right? Well, for many children, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season sparks unwanted feelings of anxiousness. As adults, we tend to overlook this truth and excuse the change in behavior as being a side effect of this magical season. Yet, the fact remains that children suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and other anxiety-related disorders may experience a heightened sense of nervousness during these busy months. So, how do parents support their child’s needs and still manage their own copious to-do lists? Well, here are a few therapeutic activities that may benefit your child.
Let’s find a place for their worries! It is often helpful for kids to feel a sense of control over their anxiety. So, why not create an exterior place for them to “house” their worries? I like to tell my child patients that we will be taking their worries from their brains to the box for now. Creating a “worry box” with your child is an easy and useful tool that allows parents to check in with their child and spend some quality, therapeutic time together! All you need is any size box, some art supplies, and white paper. They can decorate the box while you talk to them about how they can write down a few things that they have on their minds and put them in the box until they are either ready to talk about them or until they aren’t worried about them anymore. This activity promotes your child’s ability to process their emotions, control their thoughts, and realize that they do have control over parts of their anxious symptoms.
Time to practice mindfulness! Practicing the art of mindfulness is often difficult for children (and adults) because of a child’s tendency to be easily distracted by their surroundings. So, another fun activity to help ease their worries is the creation of a “calm down bottle.” This therapeutic activity is also easily created using a full water bottle, food coloring, and some glitter. Mix them all together, seal the bottle, and shake it, and the child has a helpful way of distracting themselves when they feel nervous or angry. Watching the water and its contents move back and forth encourages the child to focus on the moment and may ease feelings of anxiety and anger.
Squeeze your stress away! There is nothing more satisfying than the feeling of something squishy. It may be the soft and pliable texture or the release of energy when it is squeezed, but either way, it is another good distraction when kids feel nervous. This activity requires a balloon and either some baking flour, rice, or kinetic sand. Pour the contents into the balloon using a funnel, tie the balloon and you have yourself a stress ball! When your child is feeling nervous, allow them to squeeze the balloon and release their nervous energy. The helpful aspect of this distractor is that it can be easily taken with your child wherever they go.
As you can see, it is often easy to assume that the holiday season appears as all fun and smiles through a child’s lens. However, it is also important to realize that many kids have complex emotions. Not every child has the tools that they need to handle a disruption in their schedule, an increase in social pressure, or a lack of adult attention that they may normally have at other times of the year. So, if you notice a change or an increase in your child’s anxiety during these few months, it may be a good time to check in with your child and offer them a few coping strategies. Doing so may prove to be exactly what they needed most for the holidays!
Author: Vanessa LaBruzza, LAC