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Kids And Anxiety: Knowing When You Need to Seek Help

As a parent, all you want is for your child to be healthy and happy. It physically pains you to see them sad, hurt, or angry.

You’re starting to notice that they haven’t been acting like their normal, happy-go-lucky self lately. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t worried about them.

You know that anxiety is pretty common. Heck, you get it yourself from time to time. But you’re starting to wonder if a larger issue is present.

Let’s learn more about when you should seek help for your child’s anxiety.

They’re Showing Signs and Symptoms

Anxiety is a common human emotion. Adults and even children can show signs of anxiety just as they show happiness, sadness, or jealousy.

These are some of the most commons signs and symptoms to look out for when it comes to anxiety:

  • Anger outbursts
  • Bad dreams or nightmares
  • Changes in eating habits
  • Clinginess
  • Constant worrying
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Difficulty controlling emotions
  • Digestive issues
  • Feeling sick or nauseous
  • Fidgeting
  • Irritable
  • Negative thoughts
  • Sleeping problems
  • Tense

It’s best to monitor these symptoms. If you notice these symptoms don’t go away after 2 weeks, you should feel okay to reach out for additional help for your child.

child hiding underneath pillows with only small portion of face looking outIt’s Not Getting Better and May Be Getting Worse

If you start to notice your child is showing signs of anxiety, there are things that you can do and implement at home to try to help them better manage their signs and symptoms.

Here are a few things you can do to try to help your child deal with anxiety:

  • Comfort them
  • Explain what anxiety is to your child
  • Find books or shows that can help your child better understand how they’re feeling
  • Implement relaxation techniques
  • Reassure them that you understand
  • Remind them that you’re there for them whenever they need it
  • Talk to your child about their worries and stressors
  • Teach your child to recognize signs and symptoms

If you still notice the signs and symptoms or any other evidence of your child’s anxiety not getting better or even getting worse over time, it’s a good signal to reach out for additional help and support.

It’s Starting to Affect Their Daily Life and Routine

Anxiety is normal from time to time. When you notice it’s starting to creep into your child’s daily life, it’s a good indicator that it’s okay to reach out for additional support. Anxiety can be better managed and controlled with the proper treatment plan.

Here are a few ways that anxiety can start to affect your child’s daily life and routine:

  • Avoiding friends, school, or public places
  • Getting in trouble more often
  • Receiving bad grades on homework or tests
  • Waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares
  • Wetting the bed

Next Steps

One of the best things you can do for your child when they’re experiencing anxiety is to show up for them. Your child having anxiety doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent. It just means they’re worried about some of the things that are going on in their life just as you’re worried about them.

Allow your child to feel and express themselves. Anxiety is normal when it happens on a short-term basis. When you notice that your child’s anxiety is lasting longer than a few weeks and is starting to affect their daily life and routine, you should seek outside help.

A therapist can work with your child to help them get to the root cause of their anxiety. Once that’s determined, they’ll be able to work with them to implement better-coping mechanisms so that your child’s anxiety is better managed and controlled moving forward.

Reach out to us today to set up a consultation for child counseling or anxiety therapy.

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