Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety
Should you be concerned if your child seems to be anxious all the time? Just like adults, children can feel anxious over certain situations and these feelings of anxiety are considered normal up to a certain extent. If your child shows a predisposition to anxiety to the point that his fears and anxieties get to be irrational and frequent, then you may have to consult your pediatrician about this, just to rule out the possibility that your child is developing an anxiety disorder.
Children are naturally sociable and fun loving and if you have a child who is prone to being worried or anxious about the smallest things, he may have a difficult time adjusting with other children who may not understand his condition. If your child’s anxiety level affects his performance in school or his relationship with other kids, this maybe a sign of a deeper problem that you would have to pay attention to.
Common Causes of Child Anxiety
1. The most common form of child anxiety is separation anxiety. This is an excessive fear of not being with a person whom the child acknowledges or recognizes as a caregiver.
2. Stress caused by a new environment or demands in school can also lead to anxiety. If your family has just moved to a new place and your child has to start making new friends, this may be a factor that can trigger stress and anxiety with your child. It is possible also that a child will feel displaced in his new environment and may wish to return to his old environment where he had friends he was more familiar with.
3. Trauma caused by events such as death in the family, physical abuse or constant family conflicts are also possible causes of anxiety in children. Divorce in the family usually puts an unreasonable amount of stress on a child whose anxiety may also be triggered by feelings of guilt over his parent’s divorce.
Managing Child Anxiety
As a parent, do not take it for granted that your child is just “acting up” during anxiety episodes or that his symptoms are just part of his tantrums. If your child experiences anxiety attacks frequently, this may develop into an anxiety disorder and may even become more severe as he grows older.
Be sure to consult your child’s pediatrician who may be able to help you understand your child’s condition better or even suggest the right therapy that will help your child overcome an anxiety attack.
