{"id":291587,"date":"2021-07-19T10:45:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T08:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents-blog\/?p=291587"},"modified":"2022-06-23T10:37:25","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T08:37:25","slug":"managing-kids-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/parenting\/covid-19-kids-families\/managing-kids-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing kids\u2019 anxiety during an overwhelming time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">As adults we are trying to make sense of and function in the world that has gone topsy turvy. First, Covid-19 and all it has wrought on our daily lives\u2026 and now, recent violent and explosive events in country have added fuel to the fear and anxiety.\u00a0 How can we manage our kids anxiety in these turbulent times?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">If you think that you are struggling to manage it all right now, imagine just what children must be feeling. It\u2019s just \u201c<em>toomuchery<\/em>\u201d (according to a meme I was sent today and that\u2019s quite a good way of describing it in kid\u2019s terms).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 368px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-291587-1\" width=\"368\" height=\"368\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/WhatsApp-Video-2021-07-17-at-22.19.38.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/WhatsApp-Video-2021-07-17-at-22.19.38.mp4\">https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/WhatsApp-Video-2021-07-17-at-22.19.38.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\">15 Helpful Tips to Manage our Kids Anxiety<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Be their safe space.<\/strong> It\u2019s essential to allow your kids to express and verbalise all these big and scary feelings using open-ended questions. It is part of our job as parents to be the receptacle for these emotions and hold them for our kids, validate and affirm them. They need to know that life is sometime scary, but that we can get through it together. There\u2019s no shame in feeling overwhelmed. They may want to draw how they feel or write about it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Remain reassuring<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">. Even if you aren\u2019t feeling particularly certain about anything, remind them that they are safe and loved. Remind them that \u201cthis will pass and won\u2019t last forever\u201d even if we don\u2019t know exactly when things will go back to normal. Give brief, clear, age-appropriate answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Protect them by monitoring their screen time<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">. Limit what they see and watch on social media or the news that is upsetting or violent. It will leave a mark on them. This also goes for overhearing adult conversations about the situation. If they are exposed to something, make sure to talk it through and explain the content and context. Ask them how they feel about it and encourage conversation. Of course, it does depend what age they are but allowing them to have all access to information is dangerous, escalating kids anxiety.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Manage your own feelings<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">. You need to be a role model for how to handle and get through tough times and have coping skills. This does not mean you have to be perfect or pretend to be OK all the time. In fact, it\u2019s the opposite. It\u2019s about allowing your kids to witness and admitting that that you too, have big emotions and feelings and that processing that, talking about it and feeling that, will not break you, but is actually healthy and builds resilience. Avoid venting your own frustrations to your child.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Keep to a routine: <\/strong>This may be key to managing kids anxiety on all levels: kids feel safer and more in control with structure and this is particularly important at times of upheaval. Try to keep the same bedtime and eating routine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Create a gratitude list- <\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">thinking of what\u2019s good in life can contribute to uplifting the mood and feeling hopeful. Look for the positive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Work on a vision board: <\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">this is a visual exercise to imagine a future filled with good things \u2013 not just material desires but parties, celebrations, friends, get togethers and adventures to look forward to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Get outside: <\/strong>Whether for a walk, a bike ride, a picnic at the park. The light and being in nature is healthy uplifting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Have fun and laugh: <\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">You can still create happiness within your home even with all that\u2019s going on. Kids need to play and if they cannot see their friends, carve out time to listen or dance to music, watch a funny film or play a boardgame.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Keep moving:<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> Exercise will keep the endorphins flowing and lead to an improved mood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Go easy on the sugar:<\/strong> Your instinct might be to spoil them with sugary treats to make them feel better but this is shortsighted and will actually lead to them feeling worse in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Reach out to friends:<\/strong> let them talk to their friends via Teams or Zoom to reduce social isolation and loneliness and to distract them<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Do something for others:<\/strong> This might include charity work, donations of food parcels or writing thank you letters. Acts of kindness remove the focus off ourselves and make us feel happier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Decide together what you can control <\/strong>eg what you eat, what you say, who you talk, what you watch to etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Do breathing, meditation or pray together<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_291639\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-291639\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/childrens-hospital-of-richmond.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-291639\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/childrens-hospital-of-richmond.jpg\" alt=\"kids anxiety\" width=\"700\" height=\"327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/childrens-hospital-of-richmond.jpg 643w, https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/childrens-hospital-of-richmond-300x140.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-291639\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">children&#8217;s hospital of Richmond<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Helpful supplements for kids anxiety<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">It\u2019s normal to have insomnia or sleep issues when there is anxiety or even regression with toilet training or sleeping in their own bed. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">These supplements may help:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Melatonin ( only in severe cases, in small doses at night, for the short term. Available from your doctor on script)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Rescue Remedy \u2013 drops, tablets or even in lozenges can be calming<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Passiflora, Valerian and other herbs<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">A small cup of Camomile tea before bedtime<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Neurest \u2013 safe neurological supplement for stress<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">GABA- short term use in very small dosages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Magnesium Glycinate \u2013 reduce dosage if it causes a runny tummy<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Omega 3\u2019s<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Vitamin B complex<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Lavender essential oil- a few drops in the bath or in a diffuser or under the pillow is calming.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Note: If you enjoyed this article, and would like to stay updated with more, you can:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Subscribe to our free weekly Jozikids\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/member-registration\/\"><em>newsletter<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0 for parents in Gauteng<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Like us on <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jozikids.co.za\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Facebook<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><em>Follow us on\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/jozikids?igshid=1n8cwedrewul\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Instagram<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As adults we are trying to make sense of and function in the world that has gone topsy turvy. First, Covid-19 and all it has wrought on our daily lives\u2026 and now, recent violent and explosive events in country have added fuel to the fear and anxiety.\u00a0 How can we manage our kids anxiety in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":266,"featured_media":291646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[988,989,626,933,990,873],"tags":[991],"class_list":["post-291587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anxiety","category-anxiety-mums","category-covid-19-kids-families","category-covid-19-and-kids","category-emotions","category-health","tag-kids-anxiety"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/266"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}