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Dealing with Kids and Anxiety

Lets start with the premise that childhood is supposed to be a happy time. However, we all know that children have to overcome fear and worry as they grow and mature~We also know that life doesn’t always go perfectly smoothly and that part of growing up is learning how to deal with difficult situations so we have to expect our children to feel anxious sometimes}. The question with kids and anxiety is how much worry and anxiety is two much? When does anxiety go from being a normal response and become a problem?

 

Having to deal with a new situation quite reasonably triggers some anxiety in most kids. Things like going away to camp for the first time or learning to swim frequently trigger some anxiety.This type of normal anxiety usually get better as the child gets used to the new situation. They move beyond their fear.

 

The object of a child anxiety naturally varies from child to child and to some extent depends on their age. The teenager may be anxious about social situations while a younger child worries about school.

 

Whether or not anxiety is normal or an indication of an anxiety disorder depends more on how the anxiety affects the child’s life than it does on the object of their anxiety.  If the anxiety becomes severe enough that the child can’t participate in normal childhood activities there may well be a problem. You can find other symptoms described at: Childhood Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

There also are signs that may indicate the possibility of an anxiety problem. Some of these symptoms include worry that seems way out of proportion to the situation, worrying way in advance, headaches or other physical symptoms, frequent need for reassurance.

If you think your child has a problem, it’s important that you seek help. Anxiety can become their standard way of relating to the world, which is not how anyone wants their child to go through life.

Kids are extremely resilient. With help and support, they can move beyond any anxiety issues they now have.

Fortunately, it’s easier to get help than ever before. By turning to the Internet, parents have access to wonderful resources. I recently came across an excellent program to help kids free themselves from excessive anxiety. You can read a review of this program at Anxiety Free Child Review.

Another helpful resource is Child Anxiety Disorder Help.

However, if you’re very concerned about your child I think you really benefit from finding out more about the more complete system at the link above.