Under: Child Anxiety, Ask the Child Therapist/By: Natasha Daniels

Helping Kids Who Worry About Bad Guys

One of the most common worries I see in my therapy practice, is the worry about bad guys. What if someone breaks in? What if someone kidnaps me? What if someone murders me? What if I get attacked while I’m in the backyard? What if someone is hiding in my closet?

These children live in a heightened state of alertness, fearing that one wrong move and they’ll wind up dead. That’s no way to live.

Often parents will wonder why a child would worry about such things. They’ll tell me nothing bad has ever happened to them. They’ll tell me their neighborhood is safe.

Kids don’t have to experience trauma to be afraid of it. Just like you don’t have to experience a shark attack to be afraid of sharks.

If your child has had no trauma, chances are they have an over reactive amygdala. There brain is alerting them to any and all possible dangers, including those that don’t really exist.

Kids with this issue need to learn how to retrain their brain and turn off the false alarm.

This week on my kids Youtube channel, I am talking directly to kids who worry about bad guys. I am teaching them how to shut off the alarm bells and learn how to truly relax and feel safe.

To listen click here:

Don’t have time? Click here to subscribe and watch it later.