3 Strategies To Help Your Child With Anxiety
Anxiety medication for children goes a long way in alleviating little ones’ anxiety. However, most medical professionals also recommend therapy to help children develop healthy coping mechanisms. You can help by supporting your kids when they’re struggling.
How Can You Help Children Manage Anxiety?
Kids may feel overwhelmed when anxiety rears its head, but you can provide a safe space for them to learn about managing their feelings. As they practice these exercises, children will get comfortable enough to use them independently. To help kids deal with anxiety in a healthy way, remember these three steps.
Validate Their Feelings
Anxiety is often irrational, but that doesn’t mean kids aren’t legitimately distressed during an anxiety or panic attack. Validate what children feel by listening to them and acknowledging that a situation can be scary. However, make sure you don’t reinforce those fears.
Work Through Scenarios
Individuals can alleviate anxiety by walking through hypothetical scenarios and asking, “What’s the worst that can happen?” In most cases, the “worst” thing isn’t actually that bad.
As a parent, you can teach kids to walk through scenarios by asking questions. For example, if your child is afraid of giving a report in class, you can ask, “What’s scary about giving a report?” The answer may be a fear of messing up in front of peers. Then you can ask, “If you mess up, what can you do?” If your child doesn’t know, come up with some options:
- Take a deep breath to calm down
- Talk slower
- Try sentence again
By looking at potential pitfalls, kids are more prepared for the unknown.
Help Children Face Their Fears
Finally, don’t let your kids avoid situations that trigger anxiety. Though it’s difficult, children need to learn how to face their fears. Of course, you can help them through scary situations by letting them know they’re safe, acknowledging their feelings and practicing management techniques with them. Let your kids know that it’s OK and even situationally normal to feel anxiety, but it doesn’t have to stop them from enjoying life.
What Are Signs Your Child May Have Anxiety?
Before you consider natural remedies for anxiety in children, it’s essential to determine if your child’s worry is beyond a normal level. Anxiety in children looks different from adults, so you should be on the lookout for these signs your child needs additional help.
Behavioral Symptoms
Children may instinctively attempt to soothe themselves or combat their anxiety in unhealthy ways. The following are common behaviors to look out for:
- Avoidance
- Rigidity
- Reassurance-seeking
- Excessive clinginess
- Hypervigilance
- Excessive crying
Physical Symptoms
Many kids feel physically ill when experiencing anxiety. If your child has the following symptoms without any physiological cause, anxiety may be to blame:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Muscle aches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headaches
- Stomach aches
- Shortness of breath
- Frequent bathroom use
- Tension
- Chest pains
- Rapid breathing
- Poor appetite
Finding resources to help kids with anxiety is easier than ever before. For example, you can read over Brillia for Children reviews to see if a homeopathic approach is right for your family.