DD2 has been terribly anxious before school. She's been unable to sleep, staying awake until 11.30 pm. But two things have helped:
- Counting sheep. I told her that unless she got to at least 150, she hadn't counted sheep.
- Thinking of silly food combinations.
I think the thing that has helped the most, though, is telling DD2 why this will work. I told her that her worries weren't going to go away, but that she could trick her own brain into forgetting about them. By thinking of those silly things over and over, she was using one part of her brain to trick the other part of her brain.
DD2 found the idea of tricking her own brain quite thrilling! However, I'm very aware that these techniques have a novelty factor which could wear off.
What's worked for your DC?