Sometimes I’m Anxious
Welcome back to Bibliotherapy Thursday! You know, anxiety is something that can affect any one of us — even Daisy Bunny, who managed her anxiety at taking part in her very first photo shoot by sneaking a little nibble on the book! Maybe Daisy could have used some strategies from this week’s pick Sometimes I’m Anxious: A Child’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety. This affordable and engaging workbook helps kids aged 8-12 learn the skills to recognize and manage anxious feelings.
Sometimes I’m Anxious features a goofy monster named Fiz who accompanies your child as they learn about what anxiety is, how to identify anxiety when they feel it, and strategies to overcome it. Effective approaches like mindfulness and cognitive challenging are presented in a developmentally appropriate manner, and each highly personalized activity allows your child to think through their own experience with anxiety and come up with a plan to address it.
What I love most about this book is how it teaches your child the skills to recognize and self-regulate big emotions while still encouraging communication between them and a trusted adult. Kids in this age range begin to experience the expansion of their social world, and they’re learning to handle situations on their own for the first time. This is the age when children start to judge themselves based on comparisons to others, which can play a huge role in the development of anxiety. With this in mind, O’Neill includes sections about loving what makes us and others unique, as well as recognizing when we are not being treated with kindness. Learning these skills not only decreases the prevalence of anxiety, but sets our children up for healthy relationships in the future.
If you have a child who likes to journal or work through a project by themselves, this is an exceptionally well-presented book that they will have no trouble following on their own. However, as with many books, you may find that this is a great workbook to go through together. For kids at an age where they don’t want to be the odd one out, it can be comforting to know that their parent or caregiver has felt this way too and you can accompany one another on this journey. All the activities are based on techniques that are effective at almost any age, so you may find it helpful as well!
You can find Sometimes I’m Anxious at these retailers:
Morning Light doesn’t receive compensation for sharing book recommendations, nor do we receive a commission if you choose to buy the book. We just love them and think some of our clients may find them useful!