Stories That Address Anxiety: Write Your Own Using ChatGPT!

blog29 stories address anxiety

You can buy stories that address anxiety in online stores like Amazon. There are lots of good, well-written ones for children.

But what about a story that not only addresses anxiety but is absolutely suitable for the exact problem your child is anxious about?

Wouldn’t that be the perfect sort of story for your child?

So – let’s backtrack a moment…

What's all this AI hype?

You can't have missed all the hype around AI and ChatGPT recently! You may even have tried it out. 

And – at the the very least, if you have older children in secondary school – you may have seen how worried everyone is that they’ll cheat on all their coursework and pass with flying colours without lifting a finger!

That’s fine. The powers that be will sort those things out – but in the meantime there’s a brilliant use for this bot waiting for you to enjoy!

And that is: using ChatGPT yourself and making full use of it for your own child to create stories that address anxiety.

Here’s some help to get started…

How to Use ChatGPT to Create Stories That Address Anxiety

If you’ve not visited this little robot before, go to the Open AI website and you can use it free.

The only drawback with the free version is you may be told to come back later if the servers are too busy. Those who pay get priority access! But for this bit of fun, you don't need to shell out!

Some necessary housekeeping, however, before you carry on. Check the FAQ so you know what you’re doing in terms of your privacy, their research, and what they store.

Now... this is how I get ChatGPT to write me personalised stories that address anxiety in a child!

Input some details

Tell the bot the details of what you want. It can only give you relevant stuff if it has a context to work on. (It's a language model, trained to understand syntax and what might come next, and fed millions of pages of info to help it learn!)

Let’s assume for this example, you want to start a conversation with your child who's afraid to speak up in class. A story that addresses their anxiety would be super helpful.

You might use the input box like this (type this in):

Can you write a story about a little rabbit who needs to talk to a group of woodland animals about a danger she has seen coming, but finds it hard to speak up.

Note

1 We’re disguising the anxiety issue within an animal character. Why? It’s always good to not make things directly about your child. Then they don’t feel targeted and can take more interest in the story.

2 We’ve provided the bot with a context that suits this hypothetical child with an anxiety issue. The child needs to talk but is afraid to do so. But seeing as how the story’s using animals, we’ve invented a danger approaching in the woods. (This is your chance to be imaginative without being prescriptive!)

When I put this scenario into ChatGPT, I get this answer. It will vary each time and obviously vary if you change a detail. But look how creative the bot has been with this little bit of information...

The Little Rabbit Who is Scared to Speak Up

Lila was a little rabbit who lived in the woods with her animal friends. One day, she saw a big fire starting to spread in the forest. She knew that if she didn't speak up, all of their homes and lives would be in danger.

But Lila was very shy, and she found it hard to speak up in front of others. Every time she tried to tell her friends about the fire, her voice would shake and she would start to panic.

One day, Lila's friend Emma noticed that something was wrong. She asked Lila what was bothering her, and Lila finally confided about the fire that was spreading across the forest.

Emma listened carefully and then said, "Lila, I know it's scary to speak up sometimes – but you have to protect our friends and family. Take some deep breaths like we practiced before and then try telling everyone again."

Lila took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth. She closed her eyes and focused on calming down until she felt ready.

Then, with new-found confidence, Lila spoke up clearly and told everyone about the fire danger. Her animal friends listened intently as she explained what they needed to do to stay safe.

Thanks to Lila's bravery in speaking up, all of her woodland animal friends were able to work together quickly and put out the fire before it caused any damage.

From that day forward, Lila learned that speaking up can be hard – but sometimes it's necessary when there’s danger involved. By practicing breathing techniques with Emma's help, Lila found the courage to speak out when it really mattered most.

What use is this ChatGPT output?

It gives you

  • A non-threatening starting point for a conversation.
  • Some topics to talk over: “Have you ever felt that sort of panic?” “Shall we try that breathing thingy Lila did?” “What else do you think Lila could have done to stay calm?” “Was Emma a good friend to Lila?” "I wonder how they put the fire out? Any ideas?" Whatever’s relevant to your child! 
  • The possibility of printing out the story and illustrating it together to make your child’s own little story book over time. “Shall we see if we can draw the pictures for this story together?” That gives you more time to discuss and chat about it and maybe make some links to their own problem – but they will have imbibed a solution anyway!

Some Pointers for Starting Your Child’s Stories That Address Their Anxiety

Here are some more starting ideas – but although these will be fun, and you’re welcome to copy them while you investigate the possibilities of ChatGPT, you probably need to start putting in your own ideas that will help you own child with their own problem.

For a child having trouble at bedtime:

Please write a little story about a small bear who finds it scary to go to bed with the light out, and how he solves the problem.

For a child anxious about doing many things:

Can you write a short story about a tiny snail who was anxious about crawling up a tree in case she fell off and was eaten by a bird, and how a little mouse helped her.

For a child anxious about moving house or school:

Can you write a little story about a small child whose parents are moving house so they will have to live somewhere new and go to a new school? The child is behaving naughtily because of being anxious. Can you show how the parents realise this and help the child look on the move as an adventure?

Over to you!

I won’t spoil your fun by showing you what ChatGPT turns out as a result of these prompts. But you won't be disappointed!

I’ve noticed, however, that the bot often chooses a girl, so you should maybe specify “boy” if you have a son! 

You can turn this last one into an animal story, instead, if you prefer – just ask the bot to repeat the same kind of story but with animals. "Can you do the same kind of story but using animals instead, please?"

Oh – yes, I said please. Did you notice?!

Do treat ChatGPT like you would anyone you have a conversation with! If nothing else, pleases and thankyous bring forth all sorts of interesting exchanges with the bot!!

So – I hope this helps you be creative with your child’s anxieties as well as having fun making stories that exactly match what they need to hear. Give it a go?

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