We have all heard of children’s fears of the “monsters under the bed”. Some of us may have had those very same fears when we were younger. This is a normal part of growing up and as children grow and begin to use their imagination more these fears may evolve into other scary thoughts. These thoughts can originate from a variety of places. Some common ones that I have heard at my NLP practice in Worcester are:

• School lessons, such as history
• School trips
• TV programmes/computer games/online videos
• Things that their friends have talked about
• Their own imagination!

When a child is having scary thoughts regularly it can have a negative impact on their lives. It can cause them to withdraw from activities they previously enjoyed, it can affect their sleep, and they may want to be close to a trusted adult more often, among other things. At my NLP practice in Worcester I have helped many children (and parents!) who have been experiencing these problems.

If your child is experiencing scary thoughts, it can be helpful to explain to them that thoughts come and go through our brains all the time, and the only time they hang around longer is if we give them extra attention! Sometimes our minds can play tricks on us by popping up these scary thoughts, and it is important that we let them pass and make room for new, nicer thoughts to come in.

Some children at my NLP practice in Worcester have found it helpful to have a metaphor for letting the scary thoughts go, such as putting them on a boat and letting them sail down the river, or putting them in a balloon and letting them float away.

Once a child can let go of the scary thoughts, they can focus on enjoying the things they like to do, building friendships and growing in confidence.

If you feel that your child could benefit from one-to-one sessions to learn some strategies to help them manage their scary thoughts, then get in touch to book a FREE consultation at my NLP therapy practice in Worcester city centre, or online via Zoom.