How to Calm a Nervous Child

Everyone gets nervous occasionally, and children are no exception. For some children nervousness is a rare occurrence, but for others it is life altering. Either way, parents and caregivers can teach children coping mechanisms to help them alleviate and deal with their nervousness. In some cases all it might take is listening to your child̵7;s fears and empathizing with her. Other times, your child might benefit from professional help. Regardless, teaching children ways to cope with nervousness and anxiety can go a long way in easing these feelings.

Instructions

    • 1

      Teach your child to take deep breaths to help get his nervousness under control. Tell him to breathe slowly in through his nose and exhale gently through his mouth, while counting to 10, to become calmer.

    • 2

      Tell your child to imagine a peaceful scene when she gets nervous. For example, she might picture a flowing stream or a sandy beach. The image should be calming to her. Once she has visualized the scene, tell her to picture herself there. This will give your child something to focus on rather than the situation that is making her anxious.

    • 3

      Give your child a good luck charm he can hold when he starts feeling nervous. This works best if it is small enough to fit in his pocket so he can take it with him anywhere. He might want to carry a smooth stone that he can rub or his favorite small toy. It doesn̵7;t matter what it is as long as it brings comfort.

    • 4

      Validate her feelings. If she tells you she is nervous, empathize with her by telling her you sometimes get nervous too and what you do to make yourself feel better. If you simply tell her not to worry, she might feel like you don̵7;t understand what she̵7;s going through and that it doesn̵7;t matter.

    • 5

      Teach your child that it̵7;s okay to feel nervous and that everyone experiences anxiety sometimes. Tell him that nervousness can even be a good thing because it means he is challenging and learning about himself.

    • 6

      Talk to your child about how the things she worries about rarely happen. For instance, maybe she is scared that you won̵7;t pick her up after school. Ask her how often this happens. When she realizes that it has never happened, she can start to appreciate that what she worries about rarely, if ever, actually occurs.

    • 7

      Seek professional help if your child̵7;s nervousness seems like it is a regular occurrence or is affecting other areas of his life, such as bedtime and mealtime.

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