How do I explain my anxiety to my children?
Kids can be surprisingly intuitive: chances are your child has already picked up on your anxiety. Psychologist Dr. Tamar Chansky, who specializes in anxiety, gives tips on how to talk to your child about it.
Transcript
So when you tell your children about what you're going through, it's not to overwhelm them or make them feel like they're responsible in some way
or they have any job there. [GENTLE MUSIC]
If you have anxiety yourself, often you wonder whether or not you should or how you should explain
your anxiety to your children. Should you just try to hide it or tell them about it? And really the thing is it's likely
that your kids are noticing somewhat your anxiety. And it would be more helpful to give an explanation, a certain explanation, than to leave them
guessing because then they might really be concerned about you. So when you tell your children about what you're going through, it's not to overwhelm them or make
them feel like they're responsible in some way or they have any job there. Really it's an opportunity to show your children that you
are taking charge of the challenge that you have, which is an excellent opportunity in life to model
that for your kids that when there's a problem, there are solutions, and you can take charge of it. One simple way that you can explain it to your kids
is to say, you know, my worry makes me think about all the things that can go wrong. But I'm really working hard to think
about the other side of the story, which is what I really think is going to happen. You may even invite your children
or don't be surprised if they invite themselves once you have given them that explanation for them to say
to you, hey, Mom, I think you might be listening to your worry brain. If they say it respectfully, they're,
you know, a fellow coach, and they're helping you to get better. [AUDIO LOGO]
anxiety depression
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