Do you have a child who tends to see the problems, who thinks of the reasons that something can't be done? Quite possibly, your child is a pessimist in the making. Over the course of a lifetime, pessimism has been linked with increased stress, high rates of anxiety and depression, limited success, poor health and a shortened life span. What if we could help our children adapt to new situations and think more positively? What a favor we would be doing them! Below are a few ways to challenge negative thinking in children:
1. Teach the child to recognize and reframe catastrophic thinking. Catastrophic thinking causes heightened anxiety in children. It is imagining catastrophic outcomes and usually makes use of words like