Helping Your Child Manage Their Anxiety

Anxiety is something which we’ll all experience at some point in our lives. It’s how we feel when we’re stressed and can also be our body’s response to past trauma. Children are just as likely to feel anxiety, except they may not understand what they’re feeling and be able to deal with their emotions in the same way. It can be confusing, overwhelming, and debilitating for those with more severe anxiety. 

The symptoms vary, but include not being able to eat properly, difficulty sleeping or waking up on time, negative thoughts, being irritable, fidgeting and outbursts. There are more that can be found on the NHS website which will also give you an overview as to what you can look out for. When a child has anxiety, you can feel quite helpless as a parent as you’re not really sure what to do or say to make things better. To offer guidance and support, a kindergarten in New York shared their tips which we’ve included below.

Visit a Doctor

If you feel that your child may have anxiety, we recommend speaking to a doctor or children’s counsellor who will be able to make their own professional assessment and diagnosis. They can put together a plan which includes counselling and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) as well as other treatments should they be necessary. 

Learn the Signs

If you know that your child suffers from anxiety, pay attention to the signs. Mental health works on a spectrum and they may move up or down the scale from day to day. Learning the signs ensures that you can be there when they need you.

Mindfulness

In CBT children are taught mindfulness which is a way of dealing with difficult feelings by concentrating on the present moment. It engages all 5 senses and looks to regulate breathing so that we can feel calmer and be able to concentrate.

This is a collaborative post.