Yesterday, I overheard a young girl-about 9 years old-sharing concerns with her mother about the upcoming school year.

"I know I'm not going to like my teacher. Everyone says she's the worst one, and none my friends are in my class!"

Most kids experience some anxiety as they begin a new school year-even high schoolers. Your child may express this anxiety as worry, pessimism, or even through negative behavior. For parents, it can sometimes be difficult to know how to manage this anxiety, but doing so effectively can make the transition to the new school year so much easier.

The good news is that, whether the anxiety is about school or anything else, when you teach your child to respond to it successfully, you can help her learn to manage her feelings, as well as inoculate her against future episodes of worry.

Three steps to combat anxiety

There are three simple steps you must teach your child in order to help her develop the emotional strength she requires to combat anxiety. In fact, if you are an anxious type, you might want to try these too, because they work as well for adults as they do for children (and then perhaps you will be less likely to role model an anxious response)....