Shielding Young Children from Economic Anxiety

In these times of wild economic uncertainty, we need to make sure that we protect children under six from economic anxiety as much as possible, because not only do anxious children suffer emotionally; their emotional suffering may produce or aggravate health problems as well as behavior problems, as it leads to lowered performance, motivation, and self-control. The primary way to shield children six years old and under from economic anxiety is to get control over that anxiety within yourself first, because children pick up on our feelings, no matter what we may do to conceal how we feel.
Let your child's dependence upon your confident attitude motivate you to practice feeling more confident about your economic condition yourself. This will not only protect your child's feelings. Virtually every psychological study of competence indicates that we adults perform at a higher level when we feel calm and confident, than when we feel anxious and insecure. Additionally, adult anxiety contributes to our own physical health problems, as well as to depression, which further lowers our ability to be as successful as we can be. So, by replacing your anxiety with confidence you not only protect your child from anxiety, you also protect your child from the adverse consequences of you producing poorer economic results than you are capable of.

No matter how much you may worry about the economy, it will neither help you to secure your present income, nor to improve upon it. By contrast, focusing on tasks aimed at making money and at developing your abilities to do so will prove far more worthwhile. Also, since children automatically learn to do as we do, your productive response to economic challenge instills in your child a similarly practical and constructive approach to difficult situations.

Here is how to turn counterproductive anxiety into more productive confidence. First, pay close attention to your feelings. The sooner you notice yourself slipping into an anxious state, the more quickly and easily you can let it go. When you feel yourself becoming the least bit anxious, remind yourself that confidence, not insecurity, operates as the foundation for your highest level of resourcefulness. Then, think about what you want to accomplish instead of what you want to avoid. Write this down as a goal. If you have already written it as a goal, remind yourself of this goal. Then, ask yourself, "What is one task that I can engage in right now that will help me to advance toward that goal?"
Now the important thing is to not judge your idea as inadequate to meet your needs. Don't wonder about "what if this doesn't work?" That form of negative speculation will do nothing but dishearten you, block you from doing what you can, and leave you floundering in a state of indecision that breeds more unproductive anxiety.

Engage in the task that you thought of with your full attention focused on executing it as efficiently and skillfully as you can. When you complete that task, come up with another one. When your confidence is restored, you may be able to create a long-term plan of tasks that will bring you toward your goal.

Each time that you complete a task, you will feel more confidence, more motivated, and more focused on success. When you feel nervous about your economic future, concentrate on a task-goal; that is, envision yourself taking some kind of constructive action in line with your objective goal, which is to be in good financial shape.
Once you start feeling confident, remember to practice feeling confident, and let that determine how much of the gloom-and-doom news that you allow yourself to connect with. If you begin feeling nervous while watching a disturbing financial news piece, turn off the news and begin creating your own financial success story by doing something constructive. Sometimes, the most constrructive thing you can do is to spend some quality time with your child, nurturing both of your spirits, so you can get back to work later feeling refreshed and emotionally satisfied.

Regard the practice of a confident attitude toward your finances as a constructive act in and of itself.

Regarding how to help a child of six and under who shows signs of anxiety over money, the only way that you can really tell is if the child actually talks about being afraid about you not having enough money. If this happens, how you feel is at least as important as what you say. If you really do feel secure inside, you can help your child to feel secure as well, as you explain that we are better off focusing on what we can do to help one another than on what we fear. You might also point out that feeling confident actually helps us to cause what we want to happen. You can also find stories, like The Little Engine That Could, to inspire the child with a belief in courage and determination.