Anxiety and worry in children

4-5 million kids suffer with anxiety. Did you know anxiety in children can present itself in many ways? Sometimes it's an upset stomach, headache, or not wanting to go somewhere.

Here are some other warning signs:

• finding it hard to concentrate

• waking at night

• not eating properly

• easily irritated

• constant worry

How can you help?

1. Do not strive to eliminate the stressors. Instead, coach your child on how to deal with the anxiety. If you avoid the things that make them anxious, they will learn that they should flee when they feel anxious. This will only make their anxiety worse.

2. Identify and accept that how they feel is real. Do not belittle it or brush it off. Listen when they are explaining how they are feeling about something. "It is okay to be scared, and I am here to help you through this."

3. Avoid yes or no questions about their fears. Instead ask open-ended questions. For example: are you nervous about the test? Instead, say: how do you feel about the test?

4. Try to maintain a routine and if there are changes, let your child know and have time to adapt/digest the change.

5. Model healthy ways to handle stress: exercise, writing, reading, talking it out, breathing exercises, creating art, etc.

6. Do not try to rationalize with an upset child. They only want love at that point.

7. Validate the fear: kids need to feel heard and respected. Listen to what is making them upset.

8. Praise: call attention to what they are doing to tolerate the fear. When kids are told what they are doing well in a scary situation, they gain confidence to keep trying to push through.

9. Encourage: The more we face our fears, the less scary they become. Teach your child the importance of working through the problem instead of avoiding it all together.

10. Remember, they don't always need advice. Sometimes they just need you to sit with them though it.

Hope this helps,

Megan