https://linktr.ee/dakharipsyc, https://dakharipsyc.com/

Dakhari Psychological Services, LLC, 128 Bortons Landing Rd; Suite 2, Moorestown, NJ (2026)

02/15/2026

Because they know something most of us forget when our child is spiraling.

You can’t calm fear by pretending the threat isn’t real.

And when your child looks at you with that tight chest, glassy eyes, worst-case-scenario brain…

You naturally say:
“It’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry.”
“You’re safe.”

And then nothing changes.

So you say it again.
And maybe louder.
And more confidently.

And inside, you start wondering…

Why isn’t this working?

And then comes the part no one talks about:

The moment you start to feel helpless.

Like you’re missing something.
Like if you could just say it the right way, it would finally work.

But here’s the truth that changes everything:

Anxiety isn’t asking for comfort.
Anxiety is a PROBLEM FINDING machine!

Principals don’t say,
“Don’t worry about fires.”

Because that wouldn’t make anyone safer.

And here’s the thing I say in my office all the time…
Even the youngest kids understand this.

I ask them:

“Why do you have fire drills?”
Every single one answers:
“In case there’s a real fire!”

No hesitation.
No confusion.

They get it.

There’s a "what if there's a REAL fire" plan.
That’s what creates certainty inside uncertainty.

Fear doesn’t calm down because we dismiss the possibility.
It calms down because we define the response.

When your child spirals, they aren’t asking,
“Tell me it won’t happen.”

They’re asking,
“If it does… what would we do?”

YOU CAN shut down anxiety with a plan…
force anxiety to lose its grip.

Not because the fear disappears.
Not because you've given reassurance for the 100th time!

Because NOW you CAN HAVE a different response.

If you’re tired of pouring reassurance into a bottomless cup…

Comment SPIRAL and I’ll send you details about
The Worry Spiral Toolkit: Help Your Child Break Free from Spiraling.

Because calm doesn’t come from saying more.

It comes from knowing what to SAY AND DO next.

And once you see it —
you can’t unsee it.

02/13/2026

Sometimes the WORRY SPIRAL doesn’t start loud.

It starts small.
A question.
A “what if.”
A quick reassurance.

And then suddenly you’re 20 minutes into a conversation that feels circular…
and somehow anxiety is stronger than when you started.

That’s not random.

Worry spirals follow a predictable pattern.
And once you can see the pattern, you can interrupt it.

Not with more logic.
Not with longer explanations.

With a shift in how you respond.

If you want a simple way to recognize when a spiral is starting — and what to do instead —

comment SPIRAL
and I’ll send you details about:

The Worry Spiral Toolkit: Help Your Child Break Free from Spiraling

01/27/2026

Some mornings are already loud
before anyone says a word.

The tension.
The rush.
The urgency to get moving.

So parents do what parents do —
we talk more.
We explain.
We try to speak rationally… and yep, sometimes firmly…
just trying to steer things back on track.

And sometimes, that’s exactly where mornings unravel.

Anxiety doesn’t hear language the way we intend it.
Under stress, it scans for threat — not reassurance.

✨ If this feels familiar, comment 27PHRASES and I’ll send you a FREE guide:
27 Everyday Parent Phrases That Trigger Your Child’s Anxiety — and What to Say Instead.

Many parents are surprised by what shows up on that list.
They’re everyday phrases.
Honestly, I reach for them too sometimes — I just catch myself now.

Small shifts in language can change the tone of the entire morning.
Not perfectly.
But enough to reduce the spiral.

👉 Comment 27PHRASES to get the free guide and start noticing which phrases escalate anxiety — and which ones help your child feel steadier instead.

This isn’t about perfect wording.
It’s about awareness — and choosing language that helps in real moments.

01/25/2026

Worry doesn’t always look like fear.
Sometimes it looks like rushing.
Avoiding.
Trying to get away from the feeling.

When worry takes over, attention goes with it.
Not ability.

You’ve said the reminders.
You’ve tried logic.
You’ve told them “It’s fine, you’re fine” — again and again, and watched the spiral keep going anyway.

That’s because worry spirals don’t respond to reassurance.
They feed on uncertainty, looping thoughts into “what ifs” that never let up.
And watching it unfold day after day — mornings, homework, drop-offs — can feel exhausting for you both.

If this feels familiar, comment "SPIRAL" to get a link with more info about The Worry Spiral Toolkit: Help Your Child Break Free from Spiraling — so you can recognize when worry has taken over before the moment spirals further.

This isn’t another list of breathing tricks.
It’s a clear roadmap of what’s happening inside a spiral, parent scripts that actually calm rather than fuel the loop, and tools that help your child come out of anxiety’s grip — without repeating the same reassurance that never sticks.

Once you can spot the spiral early,
mornings, school drop-offs, and transitions start to feel steadier — not perfect, but actually manageable instead of exhausting.

Comment "SPIRAL" to learn more about The Worry Spiral Toolkit: Help Your Child Break Free from Spiraling and see how parents use it in real moments to stop the spiral before it takes over.

01/24/2026

“Timing is the shift” sounds small.
It isn’t.

When anxiety is active,
your child’s brain isn’t weighing logic.
It’s protecting.

In those moments, most parents do what caring parents do:
they explain, reassure, reason, try to help quickly.

That urge makes sense — especially when the moment feels urgent.

✨ If this feels familiar, comment SPIRAL and I’ll send you info about The Worry Spiral Toolkit: Help Your Child Break Free from Spiraling — a simple way to spot what’s happening before you respond.

Here’s the part that changes everything:
Logic can only land after the nervous system settles.
Before that, even good logic can make worry louder — not calmer.

Most parents were never taught how to tell:
• when to pause
• when to ground
• and when it’s actually time to talk

That’s not intuition.
It’s a skill.

And once you see it, mornings, bedtimes, and school stress moments feel very different.

👉 Comment SPIRAL and I’ll send you a link to The Worry Spiral Toolkit: Help Your Child Break Free from Spiraling — a practical tool parents use in real life.
Not theory. Not endless reading. Just timing you can recognize in the moment.

Sometimes it’s not about saying better things.
It’s about saying them when they can actually help.

01/20/2026

Mornings can feel overwhelming—
for kids and parents.

The clock is ticking.
Shoes are missing.
Someone forgot a project they definitely worked on last night.
And getting out the door feels harder than it should.

💬 Comment “Spiral” if mornings tend to unravel in your house.

When stress is high, everything feels urgent.
Big feelings show up fast.
Small obstacles feel huge.
And the whole routine can tip into a spiral.

The goal of a calmer morning isn’t perfection.
It’s creating enough steadiness and predictability
to help everyone move forward.

That’s where the Worry Spiral Toolkit comes in:
• a simple way to spot when stress is escalating
• tools to calm the body before emotions take over
• scripts that reduce WORRY SPIRALS
• strategies you can use in the moment, not just after

Small shifts—fewer words, clearer steps, steadier pacing—
can change the tone of the entire day.

💬 Comment “Spiral”
and I’ll send you more on the Worry Spiral Toolkit—tools to help interrupt morning spirals and support calmer starts, without adding more to your plate.

01/16/2026

Most of us say what sounds reassuring in the moment.
It’s what we were taught. It’s what feels kind. It’s what we’d want to hear.

But anxiety doesn’t always respond to reassurance the way we expect.

When worry is active, the brain is scanning for certainty and safety.
So even well-intended phrases can sometimes:
• increase pressure
• invite more checking
• keep the spiral going

That doesn’t mean you need to script every sentence or get it “right.”
It means that small shifts in language can change how safe the moment feels—and that can make a real difference.

Supportive words help the nervous system settle.
And when the nervous system settles, everything else gets easier.

If you’ve ever wondered why certain phrases don’t land the way you hoped—or what to say instead when worry shows up—

💬 Comment 27PHRASES
and I’ll send you the free guide:
27 Everyday Parent Phrases That Trigger Anxiety — and What to Say Instead

Clear explanations.
Parent-ready language.
Tools you can actually use in the moment.

01/15/2026

Homework spirals rarely start with the work itself.

They usually start when everything starts to feel rushed and tense.
The clock is ticking and everyone feels it.
Fatigue from the day.
Everyone wanting it to just be "done."

And here’s the thing most of us don’t realize in the moment:

When anxiety kicks in, it can look like our kids are being difficult or checked out—
but their brain is often really focused on protection, not problem-solving.

If this feels familiar, you may want tools that help you respond in the moment, not just after the spiral has passed.

That’s why the skills you know they have—focus, memory, flexibility—feel suddenly out of reach.

So you explain again.
You reassure.
You push a little harder.

And instead of moving forward, the spiral gets louder.

Sounds like homework at my kitchen table on more nights than I’d like to admit.

Here’s a shift that helps:
An anxious brain can’t problem-solve—but a calmer one can.

That’s why backing up slightly often works better than doubling down:
• pausing the task for a few minutes
• lowering time pressure
• adding movement or connection
• shifting from “let's finish it” to “let’s get you settled first”

Once the nervous system settles, access to thinking comes back—and homework becomes manageable again.

💬 Comment “SPIRAL” and I’ll send the details to your inbox—so you have parent-ready scripts for what to say when worry spirals show up, especially during homework time.

01/14/2026

You can’t force a child to face what worries them.
But you can support the skills that make it possible.

When you focus on what’s within your influence—
building coping skills, adjusting the environment,
and nurturing motivation—power struggles ease
and confidence has room to grow.

Facing fear through pressure is NOT THE BEST approach.
It happens through support, practice, and small, doable tasks.

If guiding your child through worry feels hard some days,
you’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

📖 Subscribe to our parenting blog "Support for Parents of Anxious Kids and Overwhelmed Parents" (link in bio)
for practical, evidence-based strategies you can use
to help your child face fear in a healthy, sustainable way.

01/13/2026

When your child is in a FULL-BLOWN worry spiral,
it’s hard knowing what helps in that moment.

Is it time for talking?
Or time for movement or breathing to calm the body?

Do I reassure?
Or do I pause and help them regulate first?

💬 Comment “Spiral” if you’ve ever wondered that in the middle of a meltdown.

That uncertainty is exactly why I created the Worry Spiral Toolkit: Help Your Child Break Free from Spiraling.

Inside, you’ll find a simple, evidence-based framework that shows how worry spirals actually work—from the inside out—so you’re not guessing in the moment.

You’ll get:

A clear roadmap of the 3 spiral zones, so you know what’s happening and what to do next

Do’s-and-don’ts parent scripts that show what actually helps (and what to skip)

Reset tools to dial down overwhelming anxiety before panic takes over

In-the-moment strategies to help your child regain steadiness

Thought-reset tools to interrupt intrusive thoughts, “what ifs,” and looping worries

Bonus: a Parent Mini Self-Care Reminder—quick, doable ways to refill your tank, because modeling calm matters

No more repeating “It’s fine, you’re fine” and hoping it sticks.

💬 Comment “SPIRAL”
and I’ll send the details to your inbox—so you can support your child with confidence instead of guesswork.

01/11/2026

Health anxiety doesn’t start with symptoms.
It starts with what-ifs.

“What if this means something serious?”
“What if we missed something?”
“What if it gets worse?”

Once that loop starts, reassurance rarely sticks.
Not because you’re doing it wrong—
but because the brain is in protection mode, not logic mode.

In health anxiety, body sensations become the threat.
Every sensation gets monitored...and often amplified.
Every reassurance teaches the brain to check again.

Worry spirals can kick in fast—and they don’t go away with simple reassurance.

The goal isn’t to dismiss symptoms
or pretend nothing is real.

It’s to stop anxiety from running the interpretation.

That’s exactly what the Worry Spiral Toolkit supports:
• understanding how anxiety hijacks the brain
• noticing when concern turns into checking and looping
• responding without feeding reassurance cycles
• tools that calm the body first—then guide thinking
• tools you can use in real moments, not just calm ones

💬 Comment “SPIRAL”
and I’ll send you the Worry Spiral Toolkit.

You can take health concerns seriously
without letting anxiety take control.

Dakhari Psychological Services, LLC

02/15/2026

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