My Anxiety was like a cloud that filled half the size of a room.
It used to say things to me that would make me feel upset. The cloud of Anxiety would move in on me when kids bully me or I thought about something scarey.
I learnt that ignoring the thoughts of Anxiety helped to make it smaller. Anxiety would also make me think about things that could happen that were not true yet. I learnt that thinking about happy things also made it smaller.
This is a picture of my big anxiety cloud.
And what it’s like now – tiny.
Here are my Tips and Tactics for shrinking anxiety.
- Tell it to “Get Lost”
- Use imaginary friends to help you
- Do something that makes you happy
- Tell someone what you are anxious or angry about
- Try not to get worked up about small things.
- Remove yourself from being around other people.
- Take five deep breaths, then five more. Then you can go back to what you were doing.
- If anxiety tries to tell you something negative, write down what you know is true instead. Read it five or 10 times and you will feel better.
- Cuddle a favourite toy or listen to music.
- Tell yourself “I can do this.” Don’t listen to the negative voice inside you.
There are many ways to shrink Anxiety. Even writing a story about it like this is calming and really helps.
Opportunity to Respond to this Story
This 9yo Little Miss was really keen to share her story with other children who might experience Anxiety. Perhaps you’d like to write a message back to her? If so:
* What stood out for you in this story?
* Why did that stand out for you?
* What skills or strengths of your own did this story remind you of?
* What might you do differently now after reading this story?
Please contact us with your response and we will forward your message to the author of this story.
