It may surprise some to learn that children can experience incredibly potent anxiety, and this anxiety can significantly impact their daily lives and their overall health. Periodic amounts of anxiety can be a fairly normal experience, but extended bouts can sometimes point to strong stressors or anxiety disorders. This is why it’s important for parents and educators alike to understand anxiety, recognize the signs of anxiety in children, and know what they can do to help.

In some cases, helping children manage their anxiety can be as simple as having the right conversation. When anxiety is more entrenched, parents and educators can try various therapies and accommodations, ranging from added flexibility to mindfulness and relaxation techniques. In some cases, children can be best helped by professional specialists and specific therapies. 

Anxiety can have negative impacts on your child emotionally, physically, and academically. And while anxiety cannot always be mitigated, parents and educators can help children learn how to manage anxiety and stress in healthy ways. This can provide skills and resources that can benefit your child for years to come.

Signs of Anxiety in Teens and Children

Parents, caregivers, and educators tend to see children in different contexts. This can make the source of anxiety difficult to detect. A child can mask that anxiety in one setting but feel it in another. Additionally, the exact constellation of symptoms your child experiences will vary from individual to individual. However, there are some common symptoms that parents, caregivers, and educators can look out for. Some of those signs of anxiety include the following:

• Difficulty concentrating over a long period of time: If a child has one distracted day, that’s probably not anything to worry about. But if those days start adding up, there may be an anxiety issue worth discussing.

• Disruptions in your child’s sleep schedule: As is the case with adults, children that have consistent trouble sleeping or experience bad dreams and nightmares, might be struggling with anxiety.

• Physical illness or unease: Sometimes stress and anxiety can present with physical symptoms. If a child says they don’t feel well or complains often of tummy aches and headaches, anxiety may be the root cause.

• Restlessness: If a child can’t find a quiet mode or mindset and has trouble calming down (or if they seem angry more often than is usual), anxiety could be the reason why, and it’s worth investigating.

• Depression: It’s normal and healthy for children to experience sadness from time to time. But prolonged sadness without an identifiable root cause could be a symptom of depression, and depression has a very high comorbidity with anxiety disorders.

• Other changes to behavior: Children may want to (understandably) avoid the source of their anxiety. For example, if they say they don’t want to go school often (and even manifest reasons to avoid it). While at school, they could use the restroom often or otherwise find ways to escape classtime. Anxiety could be the root cause of that.

It’s important to know that children and even teens do not always have the emotional experience to know that what they are feeling is anxiety. They may not understand why they are feeling the way they are. That’s where adults can help.

How to Help Children with Anxiety

Once you know a child is experiencing anxiety, you can take steps to help them manage that anxiety. This will look different for educators and parents or caregivers. Often, however, simply talking to children about their fears and worries can have a significant and positive impact. These conversations should be approached in a thoughtful and intentional way. 

• Be as supportive as you can. Let children know you understand how they are feeling and that their feelings are valid.

• Try not to minimize or diminish the source (or sources) of their anxiety.

• At the same time, don’t give their fears too much power. When possible, provide actionable solutions.

• Encourage your child to talk about their emotions and what they’re feeling.

In some cases, simply talking through those feelings is not enough. That’s when it might be useful to lead an anxious child through some grounding exercises. These are exercises that engage the senses and can help children cope with how they’re feeling.

• A-B-C around the room: Ask the child to name something in the room that starts with the letter A, then the letter B, and so on throughout the alphabet.

• 5-4-3-2-1 exercise: This exercise engages the senses. Ask the child to name five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can smell, and so on. Have the child describe these senses.

• Going for a walk: Sometimes all it takes is a good walk. 

• Sour candy: In some cases, eating some sour candy can help provide grounding and “reset” the brain out of its anxious state.

When to Seek Professional Help

In some cases, anxiety is severe enough that professional support is required. If the child doesn’t respond to grounding or relaxation techniques and symptoms persist (or escalate) or the child talks about self harm, it’s time to seek professional health.

This often starts with the child’s pediatrician. Pediatricians perform mental health screenings during regular wellness visits and can also provide referrals to qualified pediatric mental health professionals.

If you want to schedule a wellness visit and your child is already a patient here at Children’s Healthcare Associates, you can contact our Northbrook or Chicago offices to make an appointment today.