Helping children with overthinking?
Hi wonderful BPN community,
I am looking for resources (books, podcasts, games, therapists, etc.) for children with chronic overthinking/over-worrying. Ideally these tips/tools would appropriate for kids ages 8/9 up through teen years -- or even resources for younger kids if possible. Has anything worked for you or your child?
Thank you so much!
Feb 10, 2021
Parent Replies
I just ordered this book based on recommendation from my pediatrician for my 5 year old who has been constantly worrying lately. Haven't read it yet but seems to deal with all ages.
"Freeing Your Child from Anxiety, Revised and Updated Edition: Practical Strategies to Overcome Fears, Worries, and Phobias and Be Prepared for Life--from Toddlers to Teens" by Tamar Chansky
My daughter started overworrying/thinking when she was edging into puberty. I found that exercise (team sports, a walk to the store with me, a family expedition to Tilden or wherever) helped clear her mind. Any movie or TV show that made her laugh was also helpful. These are short-term help, as opposed to therapy, but children do tend to be more communicative about their feelings and anxieties when they've breathed fresh air and giggled a bit. (At 31, our girl still overthinks, but she knows it now and her behavior is more balanced. And riding is her favorite relaxation.)
Hello, Over-thinking is a classic symptom of anxiety. You will be able to find numerous resources online, and a good therapist trained in CBT techniques can be very effective. Here's a link to an NPR Life Kit that may be of interest: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/23/772789491/how-to-help-a-child-struggling-with-anxiety. My main resources are outdated as my daughter is now a young adult, and the field is quickly evolving. I can say addressing the anxiety early was helpful for her. She continues to use the techniques she learned as an elementary school aged child to calm her thoughts.
I would suggest one of the tools to put in the "I'm overthinking this toolkit" to be meditation. Ziva meditation (though I'm sure there are many others) is about to release a series for kids. I also think the book "The Whole Brain Child" has good recommendations for an approach to "Whole Brain thinking" which I think would be beneficial to improving chronic overthinking/over-worrying. Good luck!
Try to book "The Opposite of Worry" by Lawrence J. Cohen. He's the Playful Parenting guy.