Worry

Key Messages:

It's okay to worry. Sometimes worry and anxiety can be helpful, and get us to do things to protect ourselves or solve problems.

Too much worry is when you can't stop thinking about the things that worry you, and you start to feel confused, sad or scared a lot of the time.

If you worry too much you could:

  • Talk to someone
  • Try to find out more about what is going on
  • Make a list of things you can do
  • If you can, do something to make you feel a bit better

Classroom preparation activities:

  • Class discussion using stories, movies, tv shows:
    Generate class discussion about worry based on a story, movie or tv show that relates to this topic. Discussion questions may include: what was the character worried about?; how did the character deal with his/her worries?; did the feelings of worry and anxiety help the character in any way? can you think of anything else that they could have done?
  • Draw and share:
    Draw a picture of yourself and some of the things that you worry about. Create some voice and thought bubbles that might help you with your worries e.g. "everybody makes mistakes, but what is important is to keep trying" or "even though I make mistakes I can do many things well" or "that hasn't happened, it might not even happen at all".
  • Create a symbol:
    Make a worry box: Ask each child in the class to bring in a small cardboard box (or if finances permit, you could buy these and supply them to the children). Each box is then painted and decorated (stickers, glitter, pictures from magazines ). Children then write any worries that they have on a piece of paper and put them in the box. The box holds the worries for them so that they don't have to carry them around anymore (they can also be encouraged to show these worries to a safe person - parent or carer). Children take the box home and keep the worry box beside their bed. At the end of each day if there is something that they are worried about they can write it down and put it in the box.
  • Group activity:
    Teach students a basic relaxation exercise, using counting or visualisation.

Sample Questions:

Examples of questions students may want to ask the Kids Helpline Counsellor:

  • Why is it okay to be worried or anxious sometimes?
  • How do I know if I am worrying too much?
  • What's the difference between worrying about something that has happened and worrying about something that might happen?
  • What are some things kids can do to help themselves feel less worried?