Managing Anxiety and Pink Elephants

Hello parents and community of MTS,

We're off to a great school year and September has flown by. This month I thought I would send out a tidbit on how to help kids with worry and self-criticism. I have often seen in the course of my work over the last few years that worry, anxiety, and negative thinking are on the rise in kids and young adults. Developmentally, this can be a critical time for establishing good coping skills in order to combat the stress and pressure this can create. It can be difficult for kids to grasp the idea that they do in fact have control over their thoughts and that they are capable of shifting their thoughts to something more positive and beneficial.

Here is a fun exercise (it includes pink elephants!) you can do with your kids to give them an experience of their ability to change their thoughts. I'd love to hear how this goes if you try it out with your kids at home and as always feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Link to Article: ‘Don’t Think of Pink Elephants! – The Secret to Replacing Negative Thinking With Brave Thinking

Liz Hayman
School Counselor