Everyone, children, and adults alike, experiences anxiety at some point. It is normal to feel worried about a new school, trying something different or moving home, for example. Experiencing persistent anxiety in everyday situations can be the impact of many different things, it could be a negative experience that might have been out of your child’s control. For a child the feelings of overwhelming anxiety can be a scary thing to live with and can impact on their normal day to day lives and general childhood experiences.
They may have an intense fear and unease about going to school, joining in group activities, going out or just finding day to day life difficult.
Supporting children through creativity.
Working creatively with children and young people can have an amazing positive effect in easing anxiety. An anxious child often feels out of control. Offering a safe, calm creative space for a young person to tap into their imagination and create something fun, will allow a healthy sense of security and building confidence that they can alleviate their anxious feelings.
Helping to break the ice
An anxious child can find it difficult to open up about their feelings and emotions and the things that cause them worry. The idea of making and creating some chocolate treats can overcome those initial barriers and help with starting to talk about all of those fears and negative experiences they may have had. Bringing a fun creative chocolate element into therapy sessions can also ease those initial fears around therapy as a whole.
Tasting and sampling chocolate gives them a rewarding moment of sweetness and happiness, and this will help them associate being open and honest about emotions with the benefits of therapy in the long term.
Remember - Laughter is the best medicine!
Children and young people have a tendency to laugh much better and more often than adults. Laughter and fun can be the best medicine for your anxious child. Connect with your own inner child more often and your connection with your child will grow stronger.
Your calmness is their calmness!
My choclate therapy programs are local to Halton, Widnes and Merseyside
Find out more about my Chocolate Therapy sessions and how you can enquire and book a session here.