The Opposite of Worry

Summary

Whether it's the monster in the closet or the fear that arises from new social situations, school, or sports, anxiety can be especially challenging and maddening for children. And since anxiety has a mind of its own, logic and reassurance often fail, leaving parents increasingly frustrated about how to help. Now Lawrence J. Cohen, PhD, the author of Playful Parenting, provides a special set of tools to handle childhood anxiety. Offering simple, effective strategies that build connection through fun, play, and empathy, Dr. Cohen helps parents:

• start from a place of warmth, compassion, and understanding



• teach children the basics of the body's "security system": alert, alarm, assessment, and all clear



• promote tolerance of uncertainty and discomfort by finding the balance between outright avoidance and "white-knuckling" through a fear



• find lighthearted ways to release tension in the moment, labeling stressful emotions on a child-friendly scale



• tackle their own anxieties so they can stay calm when a child is distressed



• bring children out of their anxious thoughts and into their bodies by using relaxation, breathing, writing, drawing, and playful roughhousing