So you're feeling scared?
Sometimes children don’t realise that when they feel anxious or worried, this is linked to feeling scared and that means we are also feeling unsafe. Feelings are just feelings and feeling scared, worried or anxious is normal.
Let’s explore your feeling of being scared a little more, how scared do you feel?
Can you measure it on a scale of 1-10?
Or can you use other words to describe your scared feeling?
When we get scared, our body can automatically respond to try to protect us, this is called instinct and is a natural response.
We might run away, we might not move a muscle or we might go on the attack. This is called our fight, flight and freeze response.
Sometimes we don’t know how our bodies will try to protect us until we find ourselves in a scary situation. If we go into fight mode check out the section on feeling angry for tips on how to cope and calm down.
By listening to our bodies we are able to better connect with our feelings. We are then able to recognise what is happening when we have difficult feelings which means we can make a plan about how to cope and calm ourselves down. Our bodies are very clever they send us signals when we are anxious or worried, nervous or scared. You might notice you have sweaty palms, goose bumps, butterflies in your tummy, you breathe faster and your heart beats quicker.
Here are some tips to help you cope with feeling scared:
- Run away if you are in physical danger
- Find a trusted adult to talk to
- Watch your favourite movie to help you relax
- Write down your worries in a journal
- Make a calming box of your favourite things that make you feel safe and calm
- Breathe – take lots of deep breathes
How does your scared feeling feel now?
Are you feeling calmer? Where on the scale are you now? Remember to check back in next time you are feeling scared.
