anxiety resources
wemberly worried
Wemberly is a young mouse who worries about everything. Her worries range from one thing to the next, big things and little things, inside the home and outside the home. When Wemberly worries, she finds comfort in her stuffed animal. Soon Wemberly is faced with the goal of attending school, which creates all kinds of new worries for Wemberly. Yet, in going to school Wemberly meets a new friend who also has a stuffed animal that she turns towards for comfort. As this new friendship grows, Wemberly's worries shift and become a little less constant and intense. The book provides empathy for the anxiety experience and also highlights how in facing what we are worried about, shifts may occur that ultimately lead to experiencing anxiety less intensely.
the kissing hand
This is a wonderful story that speaks into separation anxiety. This may be a good resource for a child who is experiencing worry, stress, and fear about an upcoming transition in his/her life that involves distancing from parents or parental figures. In this story, Chester raccoon is given reassurance by his mother that her love is always with him even when they are apart. This story is wonderful to read at home or even to listen to at home or driving around in the car. These words of comfort are something that a child can carry with them as they walk forward.
what to do when you worry too much
This is a thorough guide for kids who deal with ongoing worries. It equips kids with knowledge about worries and how to cope. I like how this book incorporates some writing activities and creative space for kids to draw their worries and actually do some anxiety work directly in the book. The heart of the book is about strengthening kids in the face of worries, so that the worries lose their power. There's some great nuggets of coping strategies and wisdom within this book that may just as helpful for an older audience even though it is written for kid ages 6-12.
what do you do with a problem?
This is an incredible resource for both children and adults in that it normalizes the enormous weight of what having a problem feels like. The boy in the story (and all of us in many respects) would almost do anything to avoid, go around, and escape the problem. The worry about the problem sets in--all that might happen. And, yet, the more and more the boy worries, the bigger the problem becomes. The boy ultimately realizes that he must face his problem head on, and in doing so, he realizes that the problem is not just a problem as inherent in the problem is an opportunity.
Wilma Jean, the Worry Machine
This story is about Wilma Jean and all her myriad of worries. She worries about EVERYTHING. Her mom takes notice of this dynamic and reaches out for support. Wilma Jean's teacher then works with her to separate her worries into what she can control and what she can not control. Most of her worries end up being things that she can control and influence to an extent, and her teacher supports her to feel more equipped, confident, and prepared in the face of her anxiety. This is a fantastic resource as it tells a story, yet also gives direct coping skills and strategies!
Don’t Worry, Wags
Wags is a puppy who worries about EVERYTHING. In the facing of something that Wags worries about, Wags finds out that sometimes it is not something to fear after all. In this way, this book can provide an opportunity for a conversation about how even though Wags was scared, ultimately Wags discovered a different perspective. Yet, this different perspective only came about from facing and not avoiding what was so worrisome to Wags. This book may help lead to a discussion about not avoiding our worries as this only reinforces them and makes our worries stronger.
DISCLAIMER: Elizabeth is a member of Amazon Affiliates. If you choose to buy a product from any of these links, Burton Counseling will receive a small portion of the proceeds. You may choose instead to support your local bookstore and buy directly from them. These are book recommendations with therapeutic and character education themes that may or may not be helpful. This is not therapy itself.
Elizabeth B. Burton is a licensed professional counselor and life coach with Burton Counseling, PLLC. Elizabeth lives just outside of Chattanooga, TN., and you can learn about Elizabeth here. You can learn more about working directly with Elizabeth here. Elizabeth also provides support to individuals and groups through an online course on Coping with Anxiety & Stress and through providing workshops. Elizabeth communicates about mental health and well-being through both the Narrating Hope newsletter and podcast as well as through her writing. Elizabeth would love to connect with you and welcomes you to sign up for the newsletter, listen in to the podcast, reach out about working together, and connect on social media.