Tired of Anxiety: A Kid’s Guide to Befriending Difficult Thoughts & Feelings and Living Your Life Anyway

by Sarah Cassidy, Sarah Cassidy

Tired of Anxiety is a step-by step guide for children on how to do the things that matter to them despite anxiety. Based on principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the book uses evidence-based clinical techniques and describes them in accessible, child-friendly ways to ensure that families have a toolkit for working positively with anxiety over the long term. By acknowledging that difficult thoughts and feelings are a normal part of being human, rather than something we must try to stamp down or wish away, the authors normalise the everyday struggles of anxious young people so that children can learn to ‘make friends’ with their own anxiety and get on with the more important work of actually living and enjoying their lives. The text is presented in a visually appealing style, with frequent opportunities to engage with the material and a suite of supporting audio meditations.

128 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2022

Reviews

[Emma Murtagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son is a little younger than the age group that this book is pitched at but we had already tried absolutely everything to help him get rid of his anxiety. We were literally exhausted from the efforts of it. So when I saw the title of this book, Tired of Anxiety, I felt like it was actually speaking directly *to* me. I read the book first myself and then read it to my child. He’s 6 and can read quite well but I felt like some of the sciencey bits might need some extra explaining by me to him. I was wrong. He really dove right in and he genuinely seemed to understand what was being said in the book. He liked that he could draw on the pages and write about his experiences. This felt like an active exploration of his anxiety that we embarked on together. I felt like we were finally doing something about his anxiety that ACTUALLY WORKED.
I’m not going to lie, there were parts of this book that were hard for me because I had to say OUT LOUD to my son that there were things that *I* was afraid of too. But that’s the other thing, this book helped me to see that this was also normal. I never knew that before. So in helping my son to explore his anxiety, we also explored mine. This has been eye opening for my family and while I understand that anxiety might creep up again from time to time, we now know what to do when this happens. And we can even look back with fondness on this book at how we tackled it the last time because it seems like it’s never ever going to be this hard again.

[Martina Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing book for any child struggling with anxiety. It’s written in child friendly language and was a game changer for my 9 year old who has struggled for years with anxiety and also for us a family to understand what our child has been going through. Lots of fun & friendly tips that made us laugh out loud as we read the book together. This was a breakthrough for us as we have been fighting with this monster for so long. The strategies & techniques in the book have helped our child overcome her battle and we will be retreading it again and again anytime she wobbles. For any child out there struggling, this book is a must.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been trying to help my 10 year old nephew out with his anxiety for a while but we’ve not really been making much progress. It’s kind of been 2 steps forward and 2 steps back because really we’ve just been forcing him into situations because we think he needs to face his fears but he’s often so scared he just can’t think straight about anything but after reading this book together, he is actually willing to face his fear himself because he’s beginning to understand that it’s normal to have fear sometimes. He can see now that everyone experiences anxiety and yet there are different ways of dealing with it. It’s not always just about blindly pushing through it. Sometimes it’s about pushing at the edges and slowly opening your eyes when you’re scared and that you can do it a little bit at a time. Some things are worth opening your eyes for. Now we know how to do this and now HE understands that HE actually can do it. So it’s no longer about us pushing him through. It’s him understanding that he actually wants to do it and even better, he knows how. Highly recommend this book for all ages.

[Donna Linton · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book is pitched at 7-11 year olds, I would encourage adults to treat their “inner child” to this heartwarming, playful and very useful guide to mindfulness, values-based living, self-compassion; and having the empowered embodied life you want!
The authors provide evidence based strategies to help children (and adults) respond to anxious thoughts and feelings in a healthier, more empowering way. The book also provides creative activities to help readers write or draw about their perceptions and experiences of anxiety, fostering a deeper understanding of the concepts and tools introduced. The authors also include nine mindfulness meditations integrated throughout the book that can be read out or listened to on an easily accessible web based audio resource.
I wish I had access to this book as an anxious little girl. I am thankful that it is available to children today so that they can incorporate healthy practices early to live a courageous, empowered life (even with anxiety).

[Geraldine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don’t do reviews but felt this book should be shared. This book is a must read for anybody who struggles with anxiety. My son has struggled for a few years and I have sought out many books trying to help him and I have to say this book is phenomenal. It was truly educational for me and him and gave me a better perspective of what he is dealing with and fantastic coping skills which have made such a difference. He is now living life facing his fears instead of running from them. This is truly the first book we have read that is an easy read for him and beneficial and educational for both of us. Highly recommend for anyone that has anxiety in their family. Two thumbs up!!

[Pcassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Really helped my kid so much, so glad we found it!