Teaching Our Kids to Fight the "Worry Monster"

Anxiety has been on the rise amongst children for years. We’re at a point now where calling this an “epidemic” is not too strong a word. This past week, author and counselor Sissy Goff came on Wire Talk to share some tools for helping our kids overcome the anxiety they experience, and of all the wisdom she had for us, I’d love to see you put this one thing into practice in your homes this week:

If you have a child who struggles with worry, Sissy suggested giving their anxious thoughts a name. With younger children, Sissy uses the name “the Worry Monster”, but you could call your child’s worry anything - Bob, Suzy - anything! Ask for their input and come up with a name that is somewhat silly but memorable. Then, when they begin to go down a path of worry and anxiety, you can gently ask, “Is this you talking or is this your Worry Monster talking?”

Naming their anxious thoughts will help your child (and you) recognize that their thoughts do not have to control them. Their worry is not their true self! Naming helps distance your child from their unwanted thoughts and helps them evaluate if they are good and true thoughts or thoughts that are untrue or just silly.

This idea is biblical. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul instructs the church at Corinth to practice this habit. He says,

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I love that modern psychology teaches exactly what Paul taught 1st century Jesus followers! We can teach our kids this idea that our thoughts can be true or untrue, Godly or ungodly, and that we have power to change what we are thinking! And after you’ve taken the worry monster captive? Check out this list of truths you can replace it with.