Worry often creeps in gradually rather than all at once. It can start with a passing comment, an incident at school, or a lingering “what if” that occupies a child’s mind longer than it should.

If left unchecked, this worry can envelop a child’s day, much like ivy wrapping around a tree, tightening its grip.

Anxiety can gradually erode a child’s confidence, sense of safety, and overall ability to enjoy life. It can manifest in various ways, from overt signs such as a child refusing to go to school or avoiding social situations, to more subtle expressions like irritability, sudden outbursts, or a façade of exaggerated confidence that conceals deeper unease.

Parents often find themselves navigating the complex landscape of supporting both neurotypical and neurodivergent children, striving to acknowledge their feelings while preventing those feelings from taking complete control.

The challenge lies in understanding how to give children’s worries the attention they deserve without allowing those worries to dominate their lives.

Ignoring anxiety doesn’t make it disappear; it often creates more space for it to grow, becoming louder and more persistent.

Conversely, giving anxiety constant attention can be equally unhelpful, allowing it to seep into everyday activities, especially during mealtimes, school runs, and bedtime when thoughts tend to rush in unfiltered.

Children require not endless discussion nor firm dismissal, but rather structure.

One effective approach I recommend to parents is known as “worry time”. This simple yet structured method helps children process their thoughts without allowing anxiety to spill over into every aspect of their day.

The concept is straightforward: just as a fast-growing plant requires a pot to contain it, worries need a designated space where they can be addressed safely and within limits.

‘Worry time’ is a brief, dedicated period, typically lasting 10 to 20 minutes, ideally scheduled around the same time each day, perhaps after school but well before bedtime.

It is crucial that this time is one-on-one, involving just one parent and one child, free from distractions. No phones, television, or interruptions – just focused presence.

During this time, children are encouraged to express whatever is on their minds. The parent’s role is not to solve problems immediately but to listen attentively. One of the most impactful questions a parent can ask is, “Do you want me to listen, or help you problem-solve?”

While the designated time itself is important, the real power of ‘worry time’ emerges from how parents engage with worries outside of that period.

Inevitably, concerns will arise at other moments – on the way to school, during dinner, or just as bedtime approaches. Instead of diving into discussions during these moments, parents should acknowledge the child’s feelings but gently defer the conversation back to ‘worry time’.

A simple response could be, “I can see that’s really on your mind. Let’s talk about it in worry time. You could write it down so we don’t forget.”

This approach validates the child’s feelings while reinforcing an important boundary: worry has its place, but it does not need to dominate everything.

Over time, this practice helps children develop the essential skill of recognising their thoughts without feeling overwhelmed by them.

Many practitioners are witnessing a concerning rise in anxiety among children.

From 2019-2020, there were nearly 99,000 new referrals to NHS mental health services for patients aged 17 or under due to anxiety, a number that surged to over 204,000 in 2023.

As of early 2026, more than 550,000 children are on mental health waiting lists, with many awaiting treatment for over a year.

Whether these trends relate to long-term impacts of disrupted early experiences, increasing social pressures, or the rapid pace of modern life, the reality is stark: more children are struggling to manage the overwhelming volume of information and emotions they encounter daily.

This is particularly true for neurodivergent children, including those with ADHD, who often experience heightened sensory and emotional input. For these children, the world can feel more intense and overwhelming, making structured emotional processing not just beneficial, but essential.

‘Worry time’ is not about eradicating anxiety, which is both unrealistic and undesirable.

Small doses of worry are a natural part of the human experience. Instead, the goal is to contain it – providing enough space for acknowledgment and processing without allowing it to overshadow everything else.

When worry is allowed to spread unchecked, it can constrict a child’s world. However, when it is gently contained within clear boundaries, there is space preserved for joy, connection, laughter, and simply being a child.

By offering children a dedicated space to address their worries, parents can help ensure that anxiety does not overshadow the moments of joy that are so vital to childhood.

Gee Eltringham is a SEN family psychotherapist and founder of twigged, the family membership for ADHD help and support.

Eurovision organisers have addressed recent reports in the press suggesting that Israel could leave the competition in the near future to compete in an upcoming version specifically for countries in Asia.

Current Eurovision rules state that any country whose national broadcaster is part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) can compete in the annual song contest, which is why Israel has been part of it since 1973, despite not being in Europe.

Back in March, the EBU announced it was putting together the Eurovision Song Contest Asia, which is due to take place in Thailand towards the end of 2026.

Following the announcement, the Israeli outlet Ynet claimed on Monday that discussions had recently taken place at the EBU about Israel being removed from its currently-held place in the competition moving forward, so that it can take part in Eurovision Asia instead.

The article cited “two sources” who claimed that after the idea was “raised and discussed”, it was met with “partial opposition” from countries who’ve already agreed to take part in Eurovision Asia.

An EBU spokesperson said: “Discussions are ongoing with other broadcasters on joining the inaugural event in November.

“No broadcaster that takes part in the Eurovision Song Contest will be taking part in Eurovision Song Contest Asia.

“The event, like the Eurovision Song Contest, will be inclusive and celebrate being United by Music. Decisions on participation are taken by the organisers.”

Countries currently confirmed to be competing in Eurovision Asia in November are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

Last year, the rival competition Intervision was revived by Russia, which has been excluded from Eurovision since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, with 22 competing nations from around the world taking part, including China, Cuba, Egypt, Qatar, South Africa and the eventual winners, Vietnam.

Although controversy around Israel’s presence at Eurovision is nothing new, the competition has faced renewed scrutiny in recent years due to the country’s continued involvement.

Back in December, discussions took place among EBU members about whether Israel should be allowed to remain as part of Eurovision, with five nations withdrawing from this year’s contest after it was decided that Israel would be invited back in 2026.

Israeli representative Noam Bettan will perform in the first of the contest’s semi-finals in Basel, Austria on Tuesday night.

The Labour Party has descended into open warfare as Keir Starmer comes under enormous pressure to quit as prime minister after less than two years in the job.

Supporters of rival candidates turned their fire on health secretary Wes Streeting, who is expected to throw his hat into the ring if the PM announces his resignation.

Starmer will chair his regular weekly meeting of the cabinet this morning, a day after four of them – Shabana Mahmood, Yvette Cooper, John Healey and David Lammy – told him he has to go following Labour’s drubbing in last week’s elections.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband is also understood to have communicated to No.10 that the PM should go.

But loyalists including Steve Reed, Pat McFadden and Richard Hermer have urged the PM not to give in, despite the fact that nearly 80 Labour MPs have also called on him to set out a timetable for his departure from No.10.

Starmer insisted in a make-or-break speech on Monday that he would not “walk away” from Downing Street.

He is understood to have spent last night discussing with key supporters whether he should battle on.

But one Labour source told HuffPost UK: “The game is up. It’ll happen today.”

Soft-left MPs want any contest to be delayed until later in the year to give Andy Burnham the chance to be re-elected and MP so he can take part in it.

They believe that a quick contest benefits Streeting, who they accuse of manufacturing the current crisis.

One told HuffPost UK: “It would be utterly shameless for Wes to plunge the party into chaos. It would prove to the whole country that the only person he is interested in is himself. Now is not the time for a contest.”

Another senior Labour figure said: “Wes has spent six months doing every thing he could to bring down the Labour government while publicly denying it. Now everyone can see him for what he is: a self interested lizard.”

Another Labour source warned that any new prime minister would have to call a general election within months.

They said: “These turkeys are literally voting for a Christmas election. Good luck winning your seat in December Shabana, John, Yvette and Ed.”

A government insider added: “Message to rebels – if you break it you own it. Whatever comes next is their responsibility.”

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister and one of Starmer’s key lieutenants, this morning dodged questions about whether he will quit.

He told Times Radio: “As any leader would, he’s talking and listening to those colleagues. I can’t get ahead of what the prime minister may or may not decide.”

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Sir Ian McKellen has said that his decision to speak out on issues surrounding LGBTQ+ community rights wasn’t always met with the most positive of reactions from his peers in the entertainment industry.

During a recent interview with The Guardian, Sir Ian was asked about the “worst piece of advice” that he’d ever been given, and recalled a time around the late 1980s or early 1990s when the late Star Wars actor Sir Alec Guinness invited him out for dinner.

“We chatted about this and that until he brought up the real reason for his invitation,” the Lord Of The Rings star explained.

“He had heard about my work to establish Stonewall – a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating UK lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population.”

Sir Ian continued: “He thought it somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw. Advice from an older generation, which I didn’t follow.”

Following his death in August 2000, three different biographies alleged that Sir Alec was bisexual, but chose not to come out publicly in his lifetime.

Sir Ian admitted during his Guardian interview that he was reminded of his dinner with the late Oscar winner while watching a production of the show Two Halves Of Guinness, which he described as “a solo show which hints at Sir Alec’s latent bisexuality in a way that would have upset him, I suppose – Zeb Soanes’ immaculate impersonation notwithstanding”.

The six-time Olivier recipient – currently on the promo trail for his new movie The Christophers – came out as gay in 1994, and has continued to speak out on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community since.

In 2024, he told HuffPost UK of the current issues facing transgender people: “When society disregards a minority – and, worse than that, imposes laws and restrictions on their behaviour, which is really unfair – then that’s when society is going off the rails, and we have to attend to it.”

A government minister has resigned and called on Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.

Miattah Fahnbulleh was the minister for devolution, faith and communities, and has now added to the growing calls for the prime minister to quit.

She told Starmer: “The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.”

More than 80 Labour MPs have now called on the prime minister to step down following the party’s drubbing at the elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week.

The prime minister has insisted he will not “walk away” from his job in No.10, and even claimed at the weekend he wants a decade in power.

However, Fahnbulleh has become the first government minister to officially give Starmer the push.

In a letter to the prime minister shared on social media, she said: “We have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us. Nor have we governed as Labour Party clear about our values and strong in our convictions.”

She added: “Our country faces enormous challenges and people are crying out for the scale of change that this requires.

“The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.

“Therefore I urge you to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition so that a new team can deliver the change we promised the country.”

It comes after several senior cabinet ministers reportedly told Starmer to resign in private.

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A photo posted by Keir Starmer almost exactly 11 years ago has stunned political pundits after it was unearthed this week.

The prime minister’s job is hanging by a thread as more than 80 MPs call for him to quit following Labour’s drubbing at the elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week.

Catherine West, a former foreign office minister, helped to galvanise the campaign to push Starmer out.

She offered to be a “stalking horse” candidate in a leadership challenge to the prime minister, meaning she would stand against him just to tempt other rivals out of the blocks.

While her bid ultimately failed – as did her subsequent attempt at a no confidence letter – she helped get the ball rolling this week by encouraging MPs to publicly announce they had lost faith in Starmer.

Meanwhile, health secretary Wes Streeting is thought to be one of the frontrunners in the next potential leadership race.

He has made his ambitions to be the next prime minister clear over several months and many of his allies in the Commons have already urged Starmer to resign.

So social media users were stunned when they found a photo of Starmer, Streeting and West together on their first day in the Commons after winning their seats in the 2015 general election.

The now-prime minister shared an image of himself with West and Streeting along with the caption: “Taking our seats for the 1st time.”

The image attracted a huge amount of interest – with many noting just how cruel a game politics can clearly be…

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