Mindfulness for anxious school kids

It’s now the third week of Term 1 for the 2020 school year here in Australia – all of our kids should be settling into the new routine, but what if your child is still anxious about going to school?

As a mum of three kids, I have experienced both of my son’s dealing with some level of anxiety at the beginning of the school year. The ongoing questions (alot more “what if’s” than usual), the mystery stomach aches and headaches. Their awareness ramps up and they become hyper sensitive about everything. It’s heartbreaking and exhausting. And it’s more than just nervous butterflies.

So how can we use Mindfulness as a way to teach them how to deal with these emotions?

Above all advice, listening is the key. Listen to them. And I know it’s so easy to get annoyed (because you have a billion things to do yourself and the last thing you scheduled was a 60 minute interrogation about shoe laces) – but it really has been the one thing I intentionally keep consistent every morning.

I’ve found that they just want to be heard – and when we listen, we are telling them (non verbally) that they have our support no matter what. And that in turn, gives them back the trust and confidence they need to continue on with their day.

I will be posting Mindfulness techniques for kids that you can use, but if you can try one thing today – it would be for you to intentionally slow down your morning, create time for ‘worry talk’ and listen to your little ones. They need to see us model calm and confidence, and it’s the perfect opportunity to create those bonds.