Your Therapist in Sugar Land Explains Worry and Anxiety in Kids: Signs, Symptoms and Natural Remedies

The first day of school. The first time trying a new sport. A big test or big game. 

There are plenty of situations just like this that can make kids feel nervous and uncomfortable. Anxiety to a certain degree is normal for children. It’s okay for them to have fears that come and go throughout their life. 

And sometimes anxiety is very useful as well– it can actually help both children and adults navigate dangerous situations. For example, that uneasy feeling standing high off the ground near a cliff teaches a child that it’s not safe to jump!

It can also be helpful in social situations when a child sees someone being teased for instance, the anxiety may compel him/her to step in and defend that person. There are many points in life where it’s okay for kids to feel anxious and we want them to.

However, when you start to feel like anxiety is becoming too prevalent in your child’s life, there are things we and you can do to help!

In this blog post your therapist in Sugar Land wants to talk about what anxiety looks like in children, how you (as a parent or guardian) can help them, and natural approaches you can try to help keep them calm.

What does anxiety look like in children

The CDC reports that 7 percent of kids ages 3-17 suffer with anxiety disorder, with the average age of onset around 11 years old. There are probably many others who suffer but remain underdiagnosed or underrecognized.

Children often display anxiety by asking “what if” questions— 

• “What if there is a fire?” 

• “What if I get sick?” 

• “What if we get in a car accident?”

They may also show concern about future events that are far away. Anxiety can create sleep problems like being able to fall asleep or stay asleep. It can cause nightmares and other physical symptoms such as jitteriness, palpitations, headaches or stomach aches. 

Refusing to go to school is also a common problem with kids who have anxiety, and experts note two red flags of clinical anxiety are usually: 

1. Avoidance

2. Extreme distress

Child anxiety disorders are divided into several types including social, separation, generalized and specific phobias. Different disorders may manifest in different ways but the most common symptoms include:

• Avoiding specific activities, situations or people

• Worrying about anything that will go wrong in any scenario

• Worries or fears that interfere with daily life

• Persistent distress despite adult reassurance

• Trouble sleeping

• Physical symptoms such as a stomach ache or pain, headaches, etc. that don’t come from other medical conditions

Your Therapist in Sugar Land explains, How to address a child’s anxiety

The first thing to do as a parent or guardian with a child who is suffering with anxiety is to acknowledge their condition so you can learn more about it. Whatever struggles your child is facing, you want them to develop positive coping strategies, so naming the problem will make that easier. Sometimes this takes professional help like seeing a school psychologist, pediatrician or therapist. 

Many studies show that the best way to treat childhood anxiety is with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This teaches children the tools to disarm anxiety for their lifetime. Usually they learn this working with a therapist over the course of 12 sessions where they learn how to face their worries. They learn to recognize what triggers anxiety and sends distress signals throughout the body that are false. They learn to challenge these perceptions and change negative thinking patterns into positive ones.

Helping your child with anxiety will also usually mean looking at the root of it and making sure there is no anxiety being transmitted through parenting practices like talking to your child about adult concerns, depriving them of learning coping skills or accommodating their anxiety. Kids can get anxious if a parent is anxious, but that doesn’t usually indicate how the anxiety is transmitted. Anxiety is a natural mental state and just like with other emotional experiences, children can learn constructive ways of handling distress with the help of a parent or guardian. 

Your therapist in Lugar Land explains What not to do when you see your child is anxious

As a parent we’ve all made mistakes during parenting situations that have at one point or another, made things worse. This could be something like quickly dismissing a child’s emotions or labeling their feelings as “wrong.” 

However, pressuring a child to feel a certain way may cause them to hide their real emotions making it more difficult for you to recognize the seriousness of the problem. 

You want to allow them to express their feelings and be sure you’re not letting them completely avoid situations that trigger anxiety as well. You cannot allow your child to never go to the pool again if swimming makes them anxious. Teaching and reinforcing positive coping mechanisms together, will help them avoid learning negative ones on their own.

Your therapist in Sugar Land gives natural approaches to anxiety

Some of the best treatments for anxiety are natural. Therapy which targets mindset, behavior and thinking skills is one natural way that involves no drugs, but has immense power to change brain function! 

Relaxation techniques can also help subdue anxiety, as well as deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing, which make you deeply inhale and exhale subverting thoughts of worry that can dominate the mind.

There is no one specific diet that combats anxiety, but there are several nutrient-rich foods linked to positive mental health that can actually counter the effects of anxiety on the brain. 

These include traditional mediterranean-type diets including:

• Fruits and vegetables

• More fish than meats

• Oils rather than solid fats

• Minimal dairy

• Foods high in vitamin B (which is involved in the production of neurotransmitters) including asparagus and leafy greens

Other foods linked to decreasing anxiety include:

• Turkey, bananas and oats: good sources of amino acid tryptphan which is converted to serotonin in the body which promotes relaxation.

• Bell pepper and citrus fruits: rich in vitamin C, they have antioxidant properties that reduce inflammation and prevent damage to cells that increase anxiety.

• Blueberries, raspberries and other berries: high in vitamin C they also help improve brain health.

• Chia seeds: good source of brain-boosting, omega 3 fatty acids

And believe it or not, healthy social activities and human touch can help battle anxiety in children and adults. This is becuase our autonomic nervous systems are constantly adjusting to our physiological state to meet the demands of life around us, while detecting signs of safety and threat. 

Eye contact, calming vocal tones, friendly facial expressions and human touch are all profound signs of safety that provide psychological comfort and security. So, social connectedness is one of the most reliable ways to ease feelings of anxiety in children.

If you have a child that is suffering from anxiety, or showing symptoms of anxiety on occasion, give us a call today! 

We are happy to discuss your concerns and to see if therapy can help.

For more resources on kids and teen mental health, visit our blog. 

Related articles: How social media impacts self-esteem in teens

Anxiety and depression during teen years explained