Anxiety has been high for us all this year, with ever-changing information about COVID-19 and allowable activities, mask mandates, protests, violence, and now uncertainty about what school will look like for our children in the fall. It’s not difficult to spiral into fear, anxiety or depression anytime you scroll social media or turn on the news! If we are feeling this way, it’s likely our children are too.

While we aren’t able to control a lot these days, there are steps we can take to help our children through their anxiety.

• Pray and Cultivate Faith: Pray for your children and pray with them. Share encouraging Bible verses that remind us not to be fearful or anxious. Remind them that God is with us in this season. He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

• Be the gatekeeper: For the most part, we decide what information our children hear and see while they’re home with us. If we project our own fears about current events on to our children, it can create more anxiety for them. We can help ease our children’s anxiety when we manage our own anxiety in a healthy way, shut off the news, protect them from adult conversations, and communicate with them on their level about current events.

• Have them keep a journal: Journaling is cathartic for adults and kids. If journaling doesn’t excite them or if they’re too young to write, ask them to draw pictures of their feelings.

• Invest in counseling: Counseling is a helpful tool for children and adults to overcome anxiety. You can book your session with Rock Your Family here. https://rockyourfamily.org/counseling/child-counseling/

• Get them moving: Exercise is a great stress reliever and can be fun for the entire family. Even though organized sports and some recreation centers are closed right now, there are still activities we can do, like walking, bike riding, tag or hide and seek. Crank up the music and have a dance party. Have fun!

We hope and pray that these suggestions help you and your kids manage anxiety in a healthy way during this time. If you’d like information on services here at Rock Your Family, our trained counselors would love to talk to you, we’re just a phone call or email away!