(tw) littles with anxieties
a lot of littles regress to cope with their anxiety, but what do you do when little space doesn’t completely take it away? here are some tips to help littles defend anxiety while still staying small.
✧ calm jars | with just a jar/bottle, glitter, glue, & water, you can make a cute way to settle worries. shake the container up then little can watch the glitter fall down while taking deep breaths. littles are usually steady once the glitter reaches the bottom. find the diy here.
✧ faulty counting | counting in order requires almost no mental capacity so little needs to say random numbers slowly for their brain to focus on counting, not anxiety. have them only use numbers 1-50 without repeating. this is my favorite technique to use not only for my little but for my own panic attacks as well.
✧ “you’re safe” | over and over again. hold them, rock them, & whisper “you’re safe, i’m safe, everyone is safe”. this is very helpful for littles with inevitable phobias; i personally have death anxiety & get triggered easily when i’m not reassured people are safe so this is a must. for littles who don’t have caregivers, repeat it slowly to yourself while rocking side to side or write lines.
✧ lollipops/suckers | the same concept of pacies except lollies trigger the stomach as well, causing your brain to switch focus on hunger. our favorites are tootsie pops because blow pops cut the mouth, but you can use any brand.
✧ white/brown/pink noise | if little loves rain, crackling fire, wind, etc. those same sounds could help them relax during anxious episodes. you can play audio through speakers to set a calm mood or have them lay down with headphones for a more direct experience. visit here to play around with background noise (note that some sounds may irritate little one so it helps to know what they like before hand).
