Tweeny Anxiety? Make the Most of Creative Arts

Set of paint pots to illustrate creative art for tweeny anxiety

Have you noticed that tweenies are a different kettle of fish to the under-8s? They’ve started understanding so much more. They even question our understanding of what’s what! How dare they! But heck, it’s a good sign. Let’s embrace it. It’s what’s meant to happen developmentally. But it does mean tweeny anxiety can set in, too. 

How so? 

  • Social situations become scarier. 
  • Fear for the world’s future starts worming its way round their minds. 
  • And that’s without mentioning the academic pressure they’re now under to get good test results after missing so much regular schooling.

However, creative arts have a wonderful way of relieving tweeny anxiety. I’m thinking especially of music and artwork here.

Firstly, listening to music can take their mind off worries. Even energetic music and angry lyrics can help them give vent to the build-up of emotion that happens from time to time. Encourage it!

And secondly, making art can help shunt their mind onto a new track and refocus them away from the track that’s causing them stress. 

So my suggestion is that you keep your 8 to12 year olds involved with art and music for as long as possible!

That’s because these work really well against tweeny anxiety. They also give you an extra chance to talk with your child about what’s going on for them – via what they’re listening to or creating.

Let’s look at it a bit more.

Why is music or artwork creation so useful in relieving tweeny anxiety?

1 Your tweeny develops a sense of self-efficacy and mastery at what they’re doing. Feeling in control of their life – where possible – is really important.

2 They’ll feel confident in their ability to cope with anxiety-inducing situations because they have an escape route through their music or art. 

3 Both making and listening to music, and making art in some form, provide a distraction from anxious thoughts as they focus on the present moment. 

4 There's no right or wrong way to do it! Tweeny life is so full of right and wrong these days that it’s good to have an outlet where you do what you want and it’s OK!

How does MUSIC relieve tweeny anxiety?

Listening to music is one of the best ways to relax and unwind if you like music in any of its myriad forms. 

However, it’s good to encourage your tweenie to listen to music properly sometimes in order to get the most out of it.

Of course, there will always be times when they bluetooth their phone with a speaker and blast away while dancing. That’s great! But when unwinding from stress, it’s also good to use high-quality over-the-ears headphones and appreciate the detail and subtlety of the music. 

In addition, it’s helpful if you can provide a place where there’s no distraction such as television or conversation. They can then just flop and listen, letting it wash over them. 

And as a family activity?

On the other hand, if your family has family times at the weekend, it’s a great idea to have five minutes every so often when you all agree whose choice of music it is that day and you all do this routine together: no commenting while it’s playing. Don't think about anything else, just focus on the sound. (You’d obviously need a room speaker for this version.) 

You can then all discuss what you heard afterwards. (It won't be the same thing you all “heard”, you can be sure!) But you learn a lot that way about what’s going on in their life.

And especially if feelings are expressed, try to just accept them (however much you might want to disagree!) so they feel they can open up further when they need to.

Overall, this is a great way to help them unburden from tweeny anxiety in a family setting.

Or a playlist in their toolbox?

Another way is to for them to have a favourite playlist for when anxiety strikes. This will simply becomes part of their toolbox for helping themselves. Like they might have a cuddly toy or favourite place to chill.

You probably need to help your tweeny to start gathering a playlist like this before they ever need it. Maybe you can take an interest in the songs and music they like and suggest keeping a special list that will help them feel better when they’re worried or upset.

Or just move with the rhythm!

Finally, if your tweeny and you(!) like moving your bodies to music, this is a wonderful way to enhance relaxation. It sounds counterintuitive, but tapping and movement help restore equilibrium to the body’s electrical circuits.

Tapping your foot is a healing sort of rhythmic repetition, known to restore balance. And dancing around your room, letting everyone get physically involved with the music, greatly distracts the brain and enhances the benefits of music for tweeny anxiety. 

Just do it off the cuff. The results happen either way. No need to plan it and explain it!

If you want to read more about music and children, here’s a super article.

How does ART-making and DRAWING help ease tweeny anxiety?

We all know how hard it can be to stay calm when things feel like they're spinning out of control. And we had a lot of that in the last two years. It affected most of us. But there are some proven ways to encourage your tweeny to slow down and relax. 

One of them is through art. Drawing and painting helps them focus on the present moment – but it also allows them to express themselves in a creative way. And the best part is they don't have to be a master artist to reap the benefits! 

So it’s great if, from a young age, they learn that whatever they paint or draw is just fine. It leaves perfectionism on the sidelines, which is a useful skill to have in all areas of their life.

In addition, the process of creating something can be soothing and calming, giving your tweeny a much-needed break from stressful anxiety. It's good idea to make sure there's always paper and pencils or paint or pastels, to hand. In the therapy room, that’s a given too. So maybe give it a try? And maybe you can also set a (non-perfect!) example by using them yourself sometimes?

The mere act of drawing or painting can help your tweeny let out their stress in a calm and controlled way, without even having to put words to them. But if they’re also angry and make big swirls of black paint, so be it! It’s still therapeutic!

As we said earlier, there's no wrong way to do creative arts – it's all positive! And you’ll witness how it’s a huge relief to them to just go with whatever comes into their head.

Here's a good article on the value of children making art.

Why does ART help?

It’s because when your child or tweeny feels overwhelmed, their natural reaction is to tense up and try to control the situation. This only makes them feel more stressed and can lead to tweeny anxiety or panic attacks. 

However, if they create something/anything, they’re taking their mind off whatever’s causing the anxiety, and their body naturally un-tenses. Stress gives way to calm – and their thinking brain comes back on board and they'll be able to talk with you about a way forward.

There's an added bonus, of course: painting and drawing is also a form of non-destructive self-expression. Learning how to safely self-express from a young age is super helpful for future. We don’t want to be bringing up road-raging motorists and self-destructive politicians!

Where does this leave you and your tweeny who has anxiety attacks?

Experts have proved that engaging in these creative activities helps to stimulate the brain and provide a healthy outlet for feelings of stress and worry. That’s basically what I’ve been saying! So it’s another good reason to encourage creative arts from a young age and subtly help the habit to continue through to teen years.

In addition, since anxiety is future-focused always (what will happen, I can’t manage that, they’ll hate me etc), listening to or creating music, or working on an artistic project, can help your tweeny to 

  • re-focus their attention and 
  • remain grounded in the present moment. 

Whether it's tapping out a calming rhythm on a drum or sketching a fantasy scene that means something to them, music and art can be a really important tool for helping young people to manage anxiety. There’s lots of stuff for them to worry about these days. We need to do everything possible to limit tweeny anxiety to the minimum right now. Go for it? Art and music are therapeutic.

TAKEAWAY>>>>

  • Music and art are like magical tools that can help tweenies feel better when they're worried or stressed.
  • Listening to music can make them feel happier and allow them to let out their emotions.
  • Making art, like drawing or painting, helps them focus on the present moment and express themselves in a creative way.
  • There's no right or wrong in art, so tweenies can feel free to create whatever they want without worrying about being perfect.
  • Both music and art help them feel more in control and less anxious about the future.
  • Engaging in these creative activities can be like a secret weapon to manage anxiety and stress for tweenies. So it's a great idea to encourage them to enjoy art and music from an early age.

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