The Huge Bag of Worries

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One alternative to a traditional, physical worry box is an imaginary worry box. This method may be more suitable for older kids who have developed the necessary imagination skills to visualise a mental box to store their worries. The ease of accessibility and portability of an imaginary worry box can make it an attractive option. However, it might not offer the same level of satisfaction or comfort that handling a physical box can provide. Of course, it is normal for worries to come up at other times during the day. After all, your child may be an expert worrier (like so many of us). If a worry appears at another time, you or your child can write it down and “save the worry” for worry time. That is, remind your child that it is not the right time to worry and he or she can think about the worry at the next worry time. Knowledge is power. Understanding our worries means we can decide on an appropriate course of action, or simply share it with others and know that we are not alone. This is one of the key principles of cognitive behavioral therapy. When worry thoughts, frustration or overwhelming feelings strike, your child (or you, if your child needs help) can write them down on a piece of paper and store them away in their worry box (or whatever container you chose).

Similarly, you may also notice that your child decides to skip worry time some days as he or she feels they don’t need it. This is another sign of success to be reinforced and recognized! Using the box and writing down your problems on paper also helps to turn something intangible into something they can actually touch, work with, and control. Should you look at what your child writes? Technically, no. The box is meant to be a safe place where the child can write down anything and not have it “discovered.” Instead, you could set up a worry time when your child can discuss her worries with you. Worry time is also a form of containment because it restricts the time the child can dwell on her worries with an adult. You can set up the time specially for the child, say from 4:00 to 4:20 every afternoon. If at 4:20 your child is not through discussing her worries, ask her to write down the worries and put them into the worry box. Tell her that she can take them out to discuss tomorrow at the same time. Using your worry box:The next time your child feels worried or anxious, encourage them to write the worry down on a piece of paper and slip it into the worry box’s opening. It can take a couple of weeks to establish this as a habit, so persistence is key. During the review process, you could help them assess the severity of each worry by using a scale of 1 to 10. One is the least worried and 10 being the most worried.What if there was a DIY worry box that helped reduce your child’s distress, improved her sleep, and gave you a fun activity to do together? What if the idea behind the craft was based on research and time-tested strategies that successfully lower anxiety? Would you be interested? Of course! For young children under 10, a worry box can be a brilliant introduction to identifying and sharing your worries. But they may need more help than you think. Identifying your worries is an advanced skill, especially if you have multiple worries swirling around in your mind. Sit with your child and try to help them label and makes sense of their big feelings. Sometimes when we feel worried, frustrated, or overwhelmed it may help us to store our problems away. The next step is to schedule “Worry Time”. Worry time is a set time of day when your child has permission and is encouraged to worry as much as he or she wants. This specific time serves as another way to contain the worries. The key is to remember that when worry time is over, you and your child know that the worrying must end for the day. You can also help your children to relieve anxiety and stress with this Homemade Stress Ball activity.

Prepare the inside:If you’re using a cardboard box rather than a tissue box, cut a small opening or “mouth” in one side of the box so you can slip your worries inside. You can also add a lining made of paper, fabric, or any other soft material to the interior. You can also use a jar, an envelope, or any container that serves the same purpose of storing worries away. If your child often feels worried or anxious, and it’s upsetting them or making it difficult for them to think about or do other things, you can try making a worry box together. Create a worry monster (optional):If you’d like to make the worry box more engaging for your child, consider turning the tissue box opening into the “mouth” of a worry monster. Use your art supplies to create a monster face. Attach googly eyes, triangular pieces of card for teeth, or even a pipe cleaner antenna with a sign reading “FEED ME WORRIES!” Your monster could be any color and have anything added to it. There are endless ideas on the web if you look under “monsters made out of tissue boxes” or just DIY monsters. Let this monster be your child’s creation. The important concept is to have a mouth or a slot where your child can insert a paper with a written or drawn worry. How to use a worry boxWith your pencil, trace the bottom of the paint tube to make two big pupils. Cut out the eyeballs and cut out the pupils. Set aside. help them to understand that thoughts are just thoughts, not real things that happen in the world, and that it’s possible to let them go When it comes to the time for taking the worries out of the box and talking them through or reflecting on them, make sure this is not too close to bedtime. The perfect time is late afternoon/early evening e.g. around 6pm, when your child has had a chance to rest and eat after school. Creating a Worry Box Materials Needed For Your Worry Box In my clinical work, I have found that being creative and making the strategies concrete and come to life improves their effectiveness and usefulness, especially with young children. I encourage you to do the same in helping your child. The Worry Jar