Very sensitive 6 year old.

[shoutyshouter]

Any tips to help my very sensitive 6 year old. She reminds me of myself when I was young and I don't want her worrying over things like I did.
It seems like the smallest comment from another child or that she overhears can play on her mind and stop her from sleeping or going about her day.
One of the children at school told her that snakes can come out of the toilet and now she refuses to go to the loo at home. She comes out almost bursting each day and gets wet pants.
She heard an article on the news about a child getting lost and now she lies awake for hours worrying that she'll get lost and won't see us ever again.
She heard about houses flooding when river banks burst and now she panics and worries that our house will flood and wants a step by step plan of what would happen if the house flooded, even though we live at the top of a valley!
She over thinks and over analyses everything and I worry about her.
Academically she's doing fantastic, she has a great group of friends and is generally happy, albeit a little bit shy.

That was meant to say refuses the loo at school!

She sounds like she has anxiety tbh. Poor thing. Having had it myself it can be all encompassing. I paid for private therapy. Can you discuss it with your GP? Im not too sure about GPs and childhood anxiety though. I imagine if it is that you might have to bang the drum at your surgery a lot.

Could she be a Highly Sensitive Person?

My DD was like this, also couldn’t cope with loud noises, etc.

I think it’s important to avoid challenging concepts which could cause her to emotionally overthink - eg, my DD had years of anxiety generated by a trip with school to a fire station where they saw a simulation of a bedroom on fire.

DD has play therapy which has been really helpful for her - lots of strategies to cope in anxious situations. She’s continuing now with this in High School.

I think it probably is anxiety.
I suffer awfully with anxiety and OCD, but I've been on medication for years so she's never witnessed me being particularly anxious.
I just feel for her, as I know how shit it feels.

It’s just a small thing but I got the “anger” version of this book for my somewhat explosive 6 year old and found it helpful. Might be worth a look.

ttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1591473144?tag=duckduckgo-iphone-uk-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

That book looks great thank you.

My DS can be very sensitive. I have success by following a strong leader approach which is super kind but also cuts off the thinking after initial reassurance. So the snakes thing I would laugh and say that whoever said that was being stupid and silly and that I absolutely guarantee that won’t happen - check that they trust me and then cut off any further discussion - I think it’s important to be a bit strict with sensitive children about things that won’t happen, allowing them to go over it almost validates the worry for them - if you seem concerned then they will be. With things that are more genuinely possible I just talk it all through as many times as they want and offer practical suggestions as to why they are unlikely to happen.