17/04/2021
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How can you support an anxious child when their worries are directly linked to Covid?
This question came up towards the end of my workshop on Saturday, and it's one that I know a lot of parents are experiencing.
My response was simple; make space to talk, make space for the worry, discuss it in full. Put time aside in your day or week to fully welcome the fears in and listen to their concerns.
Then, once those worries have been heard, put them in a box, in a tupperware or a jar. This could be imaginary or physical. Store them safely, knowing that when you're ready to look at them, they are ready to be heard.
Yes the concerns and fears around covid are very real and should not be brushed under the carpet, but anxiety thrives on uncertainty. When we find ways to listen, compartmentalise and organise a worry, we no longer need to carry it.
Instead we can look at it with perspective, knowing that right now we are safe and well.
Perspective breaks the cycle of anxiety. Imagination and play enable perspective. It doesn't need to be complicated, find yourself a box!
