As parents, the words we choose when speaking to our anxious children can have a powerful impact on how they learn to manage their fears. Language can either reinforce anxiety or help a child build confidence in facing their worries. In particular, parents often use demand statements and protective statements in an attempt to ease their child’s distress, but these can unintentionally reinforce anxious thinking. Instead, shifting to supportive statements can help children feel validated while also fostering resilience and bravery.

When a child struggles with anxiety, a parent’s instinct is to help. It’s natural to want to ease their distress, shield them from discomfort, and do whatever it takes to make them feel safe. However, this well-meaning response can backfire.

This is called accommodation—when parents adjust their behavior to reduce a child’s anxiety. While it may provide short-term relief, it unintentionally sends the message that the world is dangerous, that anxiety is too overwhelming to handle, and that they need a parent to feel safe. Over time, accommodations make anxiety worse, not better.

Anxiety has a sneaky way of convincing us that we need to protect ourselves from discomfort at all costs. When we feel anxious, our brains tell us to do something to make it stop—whether that’s avoiding a situation, overthinking it, or seeking reassurance. These behaviors may provide temporary relief, but in the long run, they reinforce anxiety, making it stronger and harder to manage.

Anxiety is a natural and protective response to perceived danger or stress, but when it spirals out of control, it can affect our daily lives in a variety of ways. The anxiety cycle is a self-perpetuating loop that keeps worry, fear, and avoidance alive. Understanding this cycle is the first step in breaking free from its grip. In this post, we’ll walk through each stage of the anxiety cycle to help you better understand how anxiety develops and what you can do to start managing it.

The holiday season is often described as the most wonderful time of the year, but for many, it can also be the most overwhelming. The pressure to meet expectations, attend countless events, and maintain holiday cheer can fuel anxiety and emotional burnout. The good news? Setting healthy boundaries, slowing down, saying no, and prioritizing self-care can transform holiday stress into a season of balance and joy.

The holiday season is full of joy, excitement—and let’s be real—a fair amount of stress, especially if your child struggles with anxiety. Changes in routine, unpredictable schedules, and sensory overload can lead to emotional outbursts that leave everyone feeling frazzled. Sound familiar? You’re not alone, and the good news is there are ways to help your child feel more grounded.

The holiday season is often portrayed as a time of joy, togetherness, and celebration. But for many, it brings an unwelcome visitor: anxiety. From the pressure of family dynamics to the overwhelm of shopping and planning, the holidays can be a stress-inducing time. If you struggle with holiday anxiety, you’re not alone. In fact, anxiety during this time of year is so common that mental health professionals have developed several approaches to help people manage it.

Thanksgiving is often heralded as a time for family, food, and fun. However, for many people, it can also be a time of stress, tension, and anxiety. Whether it’s navigating complex family dynamics, dealing with the pressure of holiday perfectionism, or feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of planning and expectations, Thanksgiving can easily become a source of anxiety rather than a time of celebration.