How to Help Your Kids Deal with Anxiety
Email 1
Copy/Paste the following email:
Subject Line: How to Help Your Kids & Teens Deal with Anxiety, Part One
Children’s Ministry Families:
We have all heard verses like I Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He
cares for you.” Why then is there a growing epidemic of anxiety disorder growing
among children? It is, in fact, one of the fastest growing problems among young
children. Children younger and younger are dealing with anxiety. Maybe it is
even a problem in your own home with your children.
This month’s Online Parenting Class is taking on this tough topic, with some love
and grace. You do not want to miss this month’s quick video inspiration.
I hope you enjoy this video because it is definitely part of our heart and
prayers in our ministry. We love your children and having them as part of our
church. We love being able to open God’s words of hope and joy with them
every week.
You know, as well as we know, God does, in fact, care for your children. Anxiety is
an attack from the enemy to rob them of joy and confidence. You are in our
prayers as you consider the helpful advice in this video.
If you would like to sit down and talk more, let me know. I would also be more
than happy to connect you to one of the wonderful Christian professionals in our
area that could help your child and family with this difficult issue.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/321571974/96aae2253e
In Him,
Children’s Pastor
Email 2
Copy/Paste the following email:
Subject Line: How to Help Your Kids & Teens Deal with Anxiety, Part 2
Greeting Parents and Families:
According to a report just a few years ago, “80 percent of kids with a diagnosable
anxiety disorder and 60 percent of kids with diagnosable depression are not
getting treatment…” This month, with our Online Parenting Class, we are pulling
back the curtain on the issue of childhood anxiety. We want to make sure we as
a ministry are there with you, as we walk beside you, your child, and even other
families you know. Anxiety is a growing issue among young children, and we do
not want anyone to feel ashamed to let those around them know that this might be a
concern for their child.
Give us a couple minutes of your time to watch this month’s OPC.
Now that you have taken a couple minutes, or when you finally get a few
moments, we want to follow up with some sample questions to help guide your
discussion and conversations at home and with your kids.
Mom & Dad Conversation:
– Have I noticed anything different with our child recently?
– How are my child’s habits? Sleep? Eating? Relationships? Studying?
– Does my child smile, laugh and enjoy life?
– Has there been any recent situations or circumstances that may cause my
child to feel fear, nervousness, or worry?
Parent & Kid Conversation:
– Do you ever feel afraid or nervous about things?
– Have you ever felt like you were so upset by something you couldn’t
breathe?
– Do you ever wake up at night and think about scary things?
– Do you ever feel super sad for no reason?
As always, our staff is here for you and your family. If you are unsure of what is
going on with your child or how to deal with something that is going on, please do
not hesitate to call, email, or come by the office.
Grace and Peace in Your Hearts-
Children’s Pastor
Video Script
How to Help Your Kids & Teens Deal with Anxiety
Welcome to this months online parenting class! This month we are going to process one
of the biggest issues we see facing our kids and teens. This month we are going to
tackle the issue of anxiety.
We hear from parents all the time that are walking their children through the battlefield
of anxiety. More and more kids are taking meds at an early age to confront these feeling
and emotions. The truth is anxiety is an issue that is not going away and many parents
feel stressed and alone when helping their children. We live in a different time than what
we experienced as children.
Our kids and teens have immediate access to all the world’s chaos on their phones.
Our kids hear all the time about all the opportunities they have in life and how they need
to work hard. Our kids are trapped by constant comparison because of the often
controlled, fake, happy lives we see on social media.
Things are different. How our kids cope with anxiety is going to be different. We can’t
answer all the questions about the issue but we can give you a few tips to guide you…
Allow them to voice anxiety and just listen.
So many times with anxiety there are fears underneath that need to be uncovered and
spoken out loud. It’s no help to explain anxiety away. It may not seem valid to you, but it
is very real to your son or daughter. Many times we just need to listen and allow them to
process what they are feeling. Ask questions and work to understand what is going on.
If your child or teen will not talk to you, then find a counselor that can help them begin
talking.
Speak the truth in a way that they can understand.
Anxiety is always rooted in some kind of manufactured fear of what could be or what
could go wrong. Confronting anxiety begins with leading kids and teens toward truth in a
way they can understand. Speaking truth in a way they can process may take many
conversations but it is worth the consistent dialogue. You can be a truth-teller for your
kids in a world full of lies they are tempted to embrace.
Encourage overcoming and facing what is causing anxiety.
Help your children and teens find ways to confront anxiety instead of hiding in fear.
Anxiety causes all of us to retreat from life because of the unknown. It’s important to
lead your children toward the brave steps of confronting what is causing them anxiety
so they can break free of it or at least understand it better.
Celebrate current victories over anxiety and remind them of past victories in the future.
When your children overcome their fears and the anxiety celebrate, but be ready to
remind them of that victory when the anxiety shifts. Anxiety is a moving target. Anxiety
changes shapes. Be ready to remind your children of their past victories!
We know this can be a difficult battle. Look for friends around you that you can talk to
about these issues and if you need to connect with a counselor for help, do it. We are
proud of you for being present for your kids and teens!
Texts/Tweets
TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.
Tweet One: Our kids are trapped by constant comparison because of the often
controlled, fake, happy lives they see on social media. #reallove #parentlife
#worryfreekids #mom #dad #anxiety
Tweet Two: Confronting anxiety begins with leading kids and teens toward truth in a way they
can understand. #speaktruth #confrontworry #parentlife #momtruth #dadlife
Tweet Three: Celebrate current victories over anxiety and remind your children of past
victories to empower them in the future. #anxious4nothing #worryfree
#momcare #wisedad
Tweet Four: Anxiety is a moving target; smart parents aim their efforts ahead of it to
keep their kids worry free. #childhoodanxiety #worryfree #targetanxiety
#mother #father #familylife
Tweet Five: Don’t worry about anything, but rely on God because He cares for your
kids. #godcares #worryfree #anxiety #dontworry
Tweet Six: 80 percent of kids with a diagnosable anxiety disorder and 60 percent of
kids with diagnosable depression are not getting treatment. Find Help,
Don’t Wait! #childhoodanxiety #depression #worry #parenthelp
#familyhelp