Supporting Children with Anxiety

All children experience feelings of anxiety sometimes, especially during new or challenging situations.  However, when anxiety starts to take over and effect day to day life, this can be a sign that they may need some support and guidance to build some coping strategies.

Some signs that your child may need some support to cope with their anxious feelings are:

• Their worries seem out of proportion compared to the situation they are in
• Anxiety is interfering with their ability to participate in activities that other children their age do
• They start to avoid situations that cause them to feel anxious such as school, social activities, sports

Whilst avoiding situations may seem like a good short term solution, the dilemma is that this avoidance tends to make facing that situation feel harder next time. 

Here are some tips from Kids help line and Beyond Blue to support you in supporting your child.

• Find out more about anxiety
• Acknowledge your child’s feelings. Try not to tell them not to worry or to ignore it.
• Help your child notice when they are feeling anxious and how anxiety can sometimes be felt in the body Eg. Stomach aches, headaches, sleeplessness
• Emphasize giving things a go rather than focusing on success or failure
• Teach them about anxiety and why we have it. A great resource to explain anxiety is the book Hey Warrior by Karen Young
• Tell your child that you’ll figure it out together
• Help your child to notice the worried thoughts they are having about the situation and support them to come up with some calm and more realistic thoughts instead.
• Set small goals with your child to help them to face their fears slowly over time
• Encourage and acknowledge their success when they face a situation they were anxious about
• Learn some calming strategies with your child like slow deep breaths or listening to a mindfulness app such as Smiling Minds

Remember that there is support available if you feel that your child could benefit from it.  The goal isn’t about eliminating anxiety completely, but rather, supporting children to build strategies for coping with their anxious feelings so that anxiety doesn’t get in the way of them participating in things they enjoy. 

For more information, please visit the Kids Help Line or Beyond Blue websites or contact your School Counsellors Bron and Jess if you feel that your child could benefit from any further support.

https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/anxiety-kids-and-teens

https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/age-6-12/mental-health-conditions-in-children/anxiety?