Children with ADHD or anxiety aren’t always physically hyperactive or disruptive. Many children struggle with internal restlessness. In other words, we may not always see a child with ADHD or anxiety acting out because they are struggling internally with racing thoughts. If left alone, it can feel exhausting and be mentally draining.
While I don’t have ADHD, many of my students have it. I struggle with undiagnosed anxiety. My anxiety takes on the form of having to deal with an endless stream of thoughts and ideas. I have very little time and want to purse everything. I also tend to second guess myself every step of the way and then put myself down. It’s a vicious cycle. I’ve been like this since I was a child.
Over time, I’ve learned how to manage it and how to help my kids with ADHD and anxiety cope with their internal restlessness as well.
While many children with ADHD and anxiety have racing thoughts, please note that this article is not meant as a way to diagnose their symptoms as anyone can be faced with it depending on the time of day and the situation that they’re facing. The strategies in this article are meant to meet the standards of the Universal Design for Leaning so that it’s inclusive of all children.
The following are three ways that you can help your child. Please remember to alter these strategies to meet the needs of your individual child.
Actionable Steps:
#1. Note it Down
When your child with ADHD or anxiety has racing thoughts and they feel like they have a lot to do, give them a piece of paper to either write or draw out everything that comes to mind.
Most often, there’s a need to do what’s going on in one’s mind. For example, if a child is hyper focused on a project that they need to work on even though you’re discussing another task, they will try to work on it then instead of paying attention to what’s happening in the current moment. Instead, let them know that you understand and give them some time to get their thoughts out on paper so that they can revisit it when there’s time later. In fact, you can take a moment to have all of your children do this as many kids tend to lose focus during a lecture.
If they need to work on a task, ask them to make a note of when they’ll work on it so that they can come back to it during the allotted time and intentionally work on it then.
This may help with some of the restlessness. If not, move on to step # 2.
#2. Get Moving
Put on an exercise or a dance video and have all of your kids get up and move together. This way your child with ADHD or anxiety that is struggling with racing thoughts doesn’t stand out. It will help that child to focus on something other than their what’s going on in their mind. It will serve as a distraction for the child as they’ll need to watch the video and match their movements to it.
If it’s possible build this into your day as transitions or breaks. You can find videos on YouTube or GoNoodle for free.
#3. Be Mindful
Have your kids do a guided meditation together. As an adult, I’ve found some really good ones on YouTube, but for little ones, I LOVE using GoNoodle because it has kids acting out the meditation so that they’re actively engaged in it. This helps them calm down their mind and body. If you don’t have access to either one of these websites, I highly recommend downloading some soothing music and having your child focus on the sound of it.
Personally, I prefer using guided meditations for myself and my students because when there’s just soft music playing in the background, unless there’s something to focus on, like a task, my mind tends to wander. I find this is the same for many of my students with ADHD or anxiety as well.
Of course, you’ll need to assess the situation and use the one that works best for your kids and for their situation: soft music, guided meditation with or without music, or active guided meditation.
You can also teach your children how to be mindful by showing them how to self regulate. You can do it with the following resource. The one listed below is for intermediate and high school students but if you CLICK HERE, you can get access to all of my primary and other segmented resources so that you can mix and match as you need. The following resource will also help your child figure out what’s triggering them and give you a away to document everything with minimal effort on your part.
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- What does racing thoughts look like for children with ADHD or anxiety.
- How to cope with racing thoughts for ADHD or anxiety: note it down, get moving, and be mindful.
Free Resources:
If your children are struggling to hand in assignments on time, check out the following video training: 3 Steps to Teach Children How to Overcome Procrastination to Increase Productivity.
Next Steps:
For calm down areas on a budget, for your students who have autism, CLICK HERE.
You’re welcome to join us inside ADHD and Autism Self Regulation by CLICKING HERE or on the fallowing image.
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
Disclaimer: I’m a teacher and a parent. I’m not a medical professional, so please don’t take this as medical advice. The advice that I provide in my videos and online are strategies that I have used in my own class or at home that have worked beautifully. Since ADHD and anxiety is a spectrum, make sure to adapt these strategies for your individual child. Thank you!
