My Child Is So Anxious, What Can I Do?

No parent wants to see their child struggle in any way. So, if you’ve noticed that your child is more anxious than normal, or that their anxiety has completely taken over, you might feel both helpless and hopeless.

Thankfully, there are things you can do to help your child work through their anxiety at just about any age. 

That doesn’t mean “fixing” everything for them. Rather, it’s important to teach them how to manage their anxiety so they can take those skills with them into adulthood. 

So, what can you do if you have an anxious child? How can you help your child fight back against those worrying thoughts?

Recognize the Goal

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in the world. Thankfully, it’s also very manageable with the right skills and techniques. 

With that in mind, your goal shouldn’t be to “eliminate” anxiety from your child’s life. Rather, you should help them learn how to manage it. If they tend to be naturally worried about certain things, teaching them skills to combat those feelings will help them on a long-term basis, not just in the moment. 

While you might want to completely take away their fear, it’s more important to teach them how to handle it. 

Understand Their Triggers

Chances are, there’s something specific triggering your child’s anxious thoughts. 

Maybe they’re nervous about a bully at school. Maybe the uncertainty of the world has them fearful, especially if they don’t fully understand it. 

Understanding your child’s trigger(s) is a great way to help them work through their thoughts and feelings. It might be tempting to help them avoid all of those triggers. However, that isn’t a long-term solution. 

While you don’t have to force your child to face all their fears at once, don’t shield them from everything either. Work with them to slowly and effectively face what they’re scared of, and ensure them that they’re safe. Teach them coping mechanisms along the way, and they’ll eventually see that their fears are unwarranted. 

Help Them Manage Their Symptoms

There are many effective ways to help your child manage their symptoms. It’s about finding ways to cope that work for them. That could include things like

• Physical activity

• Stress management techniques like deep breathing or meditation

• Journaling/drawing what they’re feeling

If your child is old enough, you can also guide them through things like mindfulness, or the practice of staying in the present. It requires a bit of focus, so it might not be the best technique for a very young child. However, it’s extremely effective for adults, and can help with older children and teens. 

You should let your child know that you understand their feelings. They need to feel validated and not be “dismissed.” While their fears might seem irrational to you, they are very real to your little one. Rather than telling them to “get over it,” use one of the techniques listed above. 

Don’t Do It On Your Own

One of the best things you can do for your anxious child is to reach out to a professional. 

Anxiety hardly ever goes away on its own. But, working through it with a mental health professional can make it easier to manage now, and in the future. 

A therapist, for example, will help your child by getting to the “root” of the anxiety itself. Once your child has a better understanding of where their anxiety stems from, they’ll also be able to manage it more effectively. 

If your child is anxious, you don’t have to wait to get them the help they deserve – you don’t have to feel helpless. You can also view more information about our group for children who have anxiety, Calm Crusaders. Feel free to contact us for more information.