Every once in awhile, I come up with a way to help my kids learn to better manage their inherent anxiety, in a healthy way. This doesn’t happen all that often but whenever it does, I feel pretty damn good. 

I’ve been trying to help Elliott manage his extreme anxiety but that’s proven to be quite difficult because he’s an emotional roller coaster and the reasons for his anxiety are completely understandable. 

For the last few days, I’ve been breaking up Elliott’s day by taking him outside and letting him explore nature within the confines of our property. 

  
When I was a kid, I could have spent all day, turning over rocks, exploring fields and walking creek beds in search of Mother Natures little creatures. When it comes to Elliott, the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

During the day, it’s pretty easy to see when he’s getting worked up and his anxiety is becoming more than he can cope with. He’ll start pacing the floor and stemming with his hands. 

When I see this, I take him outside and try to redirect his energies in a positive manner. 

He really enjoys looking for insects to feed his toads. Right now he’s very focused on catching the crickets we have living all around the outside of our house. When he’s done turning over the rocks and looking under everything he can find, he’s generally in a much better place, emotionally.

It’s not always easy to do this but it’s worth the effort. 😉