Predictability and familiarity can be amazing antidotes for anxiety. Think about it! For most kids who worry the first or second time is the most intense, but at the end of a lacrosse season or course of physical therapy they feel like pros!
I have shared resources HERE and HERE for some of my best tips and interventions for how to make the unknown known and decrease anxiety. And today? I wanted to share another low cost resources to help make the unknown known and increase predictability and familiarity - all for the cost of a sheet of paper!
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Did you know that our bodies are absolutely terrible at predicting exactly what will happen in a stressful situation? And anxiety is meant to be protecting - I mean, if I can attempt to predict the 342,938 possible outcomes then I MUST be able to protect myself from each one….right?
Well… not exactly. The conversation, test, or game never goes quite how you predict it will and sometimes life throws you an absolute curveball. 
How often does that fear creep in for you that kids are just telling you what you want to hear in the playroom?
This is definitely a real challenge for play therapists, and therapists that work with grownups too! One of the big challenges with kids is comprehension. They might not exactly understand what you are saying, might not want to ask questions, and just agree so you can “move on”. 
Long story short, anxiety is a result of your body deeming something in the environment or future as threatening leading it to kick into a sympathetic nervous system response where the body “revs up” in preparation to fight the dangerous thing or run away.
And in real life situations like having a pop quiz, being on stage at a dance competition, or going into a birthday party with kids a child doesn’t know - there are few times in life that running away or fighting actually solves the problem. |
Hi, there!I'm Ann Meehan, an LPCC, 
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[email protected] | Copyright Meehan Mental Health Services 2025
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[email protected] | Copyright Meehan Mental Health Services 2025