Let’s talk about anxiety and how it affects kids

What is anxiety?

Anxiety can manifest through various physical and cognitive symptoms, impacting daily functioning significantly.

Physical Symptoms

Increased Heart Rate: A racing heart or palpitations can occur. It can feel like your heart is pounding or beating really quickly. Kids might think they’re having heart attack.

Sweating: Excessive perspiration, particularly in stressful situations.

Muscle Tension: Tightness or soreness in muscles, particularly in jaw, shoulders, and neck. Kids might complain their body hurts.

Fatigue: Chronic tiredness not relieved by rest. Lack of motivation in completing tasks. Kids may be cranky and struggle to regulate emotions.

Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, leading to insomnia. Kids might fight naps, bedtime, or struggle to wake up in the morning.

Gastrointestinal Issues: Stomachaches, nausea, or changes in appetite. Kids might ask to stay home from school or call to be picked up.

Rapid Breathing: Shortness of breath or hyperventilation.

Dizziness: Lightheadedness or feeling faint.

Shakiness: Tremors or restlessness.

Cognitive Symptoms

Excessive Worry: Persistent thoughts about potential threats or dangers. Kids might ask a lot of questions and need a lot of reassurance.

Difficulty Concentrating: Challenges in focusing on tasks or making decisions. Kids might not be able to stay on task or complete homework. Kids might say, “I don’t know,” often.

Racing Thoughts: A rapid flow of thoughts, often leading to feeling overwhelmed. Kids might say their brain won’t, “stop thinking.”

Rumination: Repeatedly thinking about negative experiences or potential problems. Overthinking. Kids might talk about negative experiences over and over and not move on.

Fear of Losing Control: Worrying that one might have a panic attack or lose sanity. Kids might say the feel like they’re, “going crazy.”

Impact on Functioning

Anxiety can significantly hinder a kid's ability to function normally in various areas of life:

School Performance: Difficulty concentrating can lead to decreased productivity and inability to finish assignments, do presentations, participate in group projects, talk to the teacher, ask for help, or even attend school.

Social Interactions: Avoidance of social situations due to fear of judgment or anxiety can result in isolation, difficulty making and keeping friends, struggles in talking to teachers, and difficulty participating in clubs and sports.

Daily Activities: Routine tasks may become overwhelming, leading to procrastination or avoidance. Kids may struggle to do chores, complete assignments, participate in sports, and spend time with others.

How Therapy Helps

Therapy can significantly help anxiety symptoms through various approaches:

Psychoeducation: Increases understanding of anxiety, its symptoms, and coping mechanisms, empowering kids to manage their experiences effectively. By providing tools to manage symptoms, therapy can lead to improved functioning, enhanced quality of life, and better emotional regulation.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors, enhancing coping strategies.

Exposure Therapy: Gradually exposes kids to anxiety-provoking situations in a controlled way, reducing avoidance behaviors and overall fear and anxiety.

Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Teaches methods to ground oneself and reduce physical symptoms, such as breathing exercises. Parents can help kids practice and regulate themselves.

Conclusion

Kids often experience anxiety about a variety of things but may not be able to describe or express what they’re going through. You may notice changing behaviors or functioning at school or at home. As a parent, it can feel really scary when our kids struggle, and we may not know how to help or even might make it worse in our efforts to help. Therapy can be really helpful for kids and families in order to help families understand what’s going on, help parents learn the best ways to support their kids, and help kids learn to better manage their symptoms.