Playing With Anxiety: Casey's Guide for Teens and Kids

by R. Reid Wilson, Lynn Lyons

Anxiety has the power to stop kids in their tracks, preventing them from exploring and growing into independent teens and young adults. Casey, the fourteen year old narrator of Playing with Casey’s Guide for Teens and Kids, knows all too well how worry can interrupt fun, ruin school, and take control of a family. In this companion book to Reid Wilson and Lynn Lyons’ parenting book, Anxious Kids, Anxious 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous & Independent Children (HCI Books, 2013), Casey shares her own experiences and those of her friends to teach kids and teens the strategies to handle the normal worries of growing as well as the more powerful tricks of anxiety. With pluck and humor, Casey tells stories, offers exercises, and describes her “solving the puzzle” approach that kids and their parents can use to address all types of worries and fears.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Psychology, Health, Self Help

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2013

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this book is very helpful. I read anxious kids anxious parents first, then I read this to my child. The only thing I have to say is that it is extremely repetitive. This could be a much shorter book. It also could have used a wider variety of examples. These two books used in conjunction with the flusterclux podcast are really helping me understand my daughter's anxiety and how we can help her work through it.

[Ali M · Rating 4 out of 5]

4****Stars

Our third child has been struggling with anxiety for some time. We were fortunate to be able to find a therapist to work with her (it was no easy task given the mental health crisis the children of this country are in the grip of), and she recommended this book.

It has been slow going getting my kiddo to read it (even though I must pull her away from all other books!) because she doesn’t think her anxiety is a big deal (it is). I read it, however, and it was a timely read. Turns out I am prone to anxiety too. In my case, I was awaiting some test results that got me all knotted up, and this book gave me some helpful tools to deal with the what-if, crazy scenarios I was spinning in my brain.

It’s helping my daughter too. She is reluctant to do the exercises recommended by the therapist and read this book, but when she does, things have really been clicking for her and we have seen much improvement.

If you need some tools to help your child cope with anxiety, I really recommend this book. It might just help you too.

[Dewin Anguas Barnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although written for young kids and teenagers, I found this book extremely helpful as an adult. The stories and metaphors really help clarify the ideas and strategies offered in the book, as well as help make them memorable. I was aftaid the language would be cheesy, but Wilson did an awesome job of speaking clearly and light-heartedly without being condescending, something most adults unfortunately do when addressing children.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent! I've been studying the works of this consoler online recently and he's very good. This book is a free download from his website.

While written to kids, it is most helpful to anyone at any age, certainly even us older adults! It would have helped me in my youth if I had read it then.

Recommended to help manage your worry!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! I liked how the writer was a 14 year old girl who had a lot of similar experiences as me. I have anxiety, so I always try to get someone else's ideas on how to handle it. This book honestly had so many good ideas in it! It was so sweet. Loved it :)

[Leanna Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall helpful book on creative ways to address anxiety in your children, but not any new information.

[Sara Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my pre-teen daughter and we both found it helpful and informative.

[H. C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend it for every family with a child who has anxiety.

[Caroline E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

PB. A good resource for helping kids to understand anxiety. Provides actionable steps and builds slowly on how to deal with anxiety.

[Graham Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful but too long by half to match attention spans.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the companion book to "Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents" which I feel is one of the best books about how to manage anxiety out there - and I've read quite a few. This guide is written from a kids point of view and has super relevant examples of common anxiety issues. I read this aloud to my kids and there were multiple times when they thought I was ad-libbing it because the situations were SO similar to ones that we've experienced. While they did experience some anxiety while reading the book (which is completely normal and they talk about that too), this book has been a huge help in getting them to face their fears and do it anyway. If your child is anxious this (and Anxious Kids-Anxious Parents) is a must read.

[Tamara Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for any older child who has struggled with anxiety and a fantastic resource for parents. My 9 year old and I read this together. It is written in a fun and accessible style that my son could relate to. I learned a lot about my own role in my son's anxiety. I found this book so helpful I ordered another by the same author that is geared towards parents.

[Doug Brunell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This just isn't for kids who deal with anxiety. It is for their parents and for adults who many suffer from it, too.

I must say this book is actually amazing when it comes to dealing with this issue, which cripples many people. If you've tried everything else, or haven't tried anything yet, this is the place to start. You won't regret it, and it works.

[Jean-Paul Eberle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful developmentally appropriate tool for introducing youth to anxiety and helping them develop more effective coping skills and ways to relate to it.