Parenting Tips: How to Handle Children with Anxiety
Parenting is tough enough without any additional stresses added to the mix. As a parent, you constantly worry about your child’s health and wellbeing. When you have a child that suffers from anxiety, it can add to your constant worry. You may find yourself feeling overwhelmed when having to deal with your child’s anxiety attacks. Aside from seeking therapy for children with anxiety, there are various ways you can handle the situation to ease the stress for both you and your child.
Signs of Anxiety
Perhaps you are unsure if your child suffers from anxiety. Fortunately, there are ways you can identify certain factors and behaviors. A child with anxiety will often display the following:
- Tantrums, crying, clinging when separated from you (sign of separation anxiety)
- Frequent worrying
- Frequent or sudden onset of panic attacks
- Constant complaints of a headache or stomachache
- Overly shy
- Avoids social interaction
If you notice your child displaying any of the behaviors mentioned above, it might indicate that your child suffers from anxiety. Fortunately, a knowledgeable child therapist such as myself can assist you in handling children with anxiety.
Managing Anxiety
Knowing how to help your child manage anxiety can make all the difference in the world. Do not seek to eliminate anxiety or you will become far too stressed. There is no way to remove everything that triggers your child’s anxiety completely. Therefore, your goal should focus on assisting your child with managing anxiety.
First, do not go out of your way to avoid situations or events that trigger your child’s anxiety. Although you will provide your child with immediate relief, all you are doing is solidifying the fact that your child has a reason to feel anxious. By protecting your child from situations that could trigger feelings of anxiety, you are allowing the cycle to continue.
Encourage your child in a positive, but realistic way. For instance, maybe your child suffers from test anxiety. Perhaps your child feels anxious right before facing the pressure of a test. Rather than leaving your child home from school to avoid the test and the anxiety, offer encouragement. Make sure you remain realistic. Do not promise your child a passing grade just to ease anxiety. Instead, encourage them to give it their best and let them know that it is okay to fail so long as they try.
Another way to assist your child in managing anxiety is to seek the help of a therapist. As a therapist, I see a lot of parents dealing with children with anxiety and I understand it is often stressful and frustrating. I work closely with the parents to help them cope with their child’s anxiety. I also work with the child to find ways to overcome triggers or fears that can lead to anxiety. Therapy can often prove quite useful for both parents and children in situations like this one.
Therapy for Anxiety
Children with anxiety want to lead normal lives like any other child. For that reason, I encourage you to get in touch with me. My therapy services provide you and your child a way to communicate your feelings and frustrations effectively. My goal is to ensure you and your child gain the benefit of learning how to handle anxiety in a way that is both healthy and productive.
If you have any questions about my services or you would like to learn more about the ways therapy can help you manage your child with anxiety, feel free to contact me at your convenience.
