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Home » Special Needs » Anxiety In Kids » Anxiety in Kids – What Parents Need to Know & How to Help

Anxiety in Kids – What Parents Need to Know & How to Help

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Anxiety in kids is a lot more common than we adults acknowledge. So I decided to start writing a bit more about anxiety and how it manifests in kids’ behavior. Believe it or not even toddlers and babies experience anxiety.

I have a child who suffers a great deal from anxiety. His anxiety manifests in OCD type behavior where he asks the same question again and again. It also shows up in explosive behavior at home. He has trouble sitting in any uncertain situation or in any lull of activity. 

Anxiety in Kids

One important point is that a child’s worries are not immediately recognized by an adult. A kid’s view and experience in the world vary from an adult. So, understanding anxiety in kids requires us to recognize the signs and behaviors. Furthermore, it also requires us to shift our perspective.

Anxiety in Kids – What Parents Need to Know

Kids may worry about grades, fitting in at school, or soccer practice cancellation. My son worries about how to fill up his time. In other words, one of his favorite phrases is “I’m bored” when he feels this anxiety. Most kids recover by going ride a bike or building with legos. Yet, anxious kids can get stuck.

Related Read: Calm Down Ideas for the Holidays

Most kids’ worries come and go. In other words, kids forget their fears as they find activities to fill the void. For example, a typical child may choose a board game, work on homework, or find a friend.

anxious child getting hug from mother

Child Anxiety Symptoms

The Harvard Health Blog writes“Anxious children may be clingy, startle easily, cry or have tantrums, sleep poorly, and have headaches or stomachaches. But anxiety is not all bad.”
 
I appreciate the last part of the quote. Anxiety often comes alongside extreme intelligence and creativity, or other positive attributes. Gifted children often struggle a great deal with anxiety.
 
Some children’s anxiety is more persistent. Distraction doesn’t work for these kids. Their fears distract them from becoming engaged in life. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the anxiety that will not go away and has no clear source. When a child has suffered in this way for a period of six months or longer, he may have GAD. 

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Children suffering from anxiety feel excessive worry not focussed on one trigger. Their worry may range from mild to debilitating. Also, they cannot tell that their worry is out of proportion to reality. 
 
A combination of physical and environmental factors cause generalized anxiety. According to mayoclinic.com, the brain’s balance of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine is the key to anxiety.
 
Genetic predisposition to anxiety can also lead to illness, as can trauma and stress.  Usually, several factors work together to trigger the condition.  A combination of psychotherapy and medication is the most effective treatment for sufferers of GAD. 
 
You can take steps to help your child with her anxiety symptoms. Create a trigger list and come up with “go-to” solutions to help ease anxiety. For example, reading about kids with anxiety and meditation may help a child deal with these intense emotions. Click here for some amazing ways to meditate with kids.
 
With that said, a combination of professional treatment and work at home is the best approach. Helping your child maintain a stable and healthy lifestyle will help her emotions.
little boy tired exhausted stressed of reading, doing homework

How to Help a Child with Anxiety

Adequate sleep is crucial for regulating anxiety. Stabilizing your child’s blood sugar levels can also help. Frequent small meals with limited sugar and adequate protein is the key. Exercise will help your child burn off excess adrenaline and calm his body. 
 
Your response to your child’s anxiety can also help her cope with her disorder. Remember that she has little control over her worry and that she cannot “stop.” Understand that learning new patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving will take time.
 
Take your child’s expressed emotions at face-value. She is feeling a strong emotion, not dramatizing or manipulating. Confirm and acknowledge the intense emotions. Consider asking questions about how she feels, physically and emotionally, at that moment.
 
Generalized anxiety disorder is a heavy burden for a child to carry. With professional help and support, that burden will lift and a child can learn to experience a typical childhood. 

More about Anxiety in Kids

  • How Are SPD & Anxiety-Related?
  • Characteristics of Gifted Children
  • When Nothing Else Worked for Our Explosive Son, This Did
  • How I Am Helping My Angry Child
  • Ways to Help An Angry Child
  • After Years of Therapy, these 3 Approaches to Help Emotional Regulation

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About Marnie Craycroft

Marnie hails from Maine where she spent summers buried in sand and winters buried in snow. She is the daughter of a nearly four decade veteran of the public school systems. Teaching has always been a part of her life. She founded Carrots Are Orange in 2010.

Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori learning and living website for parents and teachers.

Marnie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a BA in Economics. She spent nearly a decade working in investment management. In 2006, she earned her MA in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.

Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999 and currently lives in Boulder with her husband and three sons. She is Montessori trained. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, PBS Kids, BabyCenter, the Melissa & Doug blog, Huffington Post, and WhattoExpect.com. Besides writing, passions include running (usually after her three sons), photography, and outdoor adventures.

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