It is normal for children to feel worried or scared before a big test or speak in front of an unknown person. But your child needs extra support when their anxiety gets in the way of normal activities.
Anxiety is a mental health challenge, one in five children experience some kind of anxiety. Consult with a pediatrician in East Cobb to discuss strategies that can help.
- Don’t Make False Promises: Don’t promise that what they fear won’t happen again but do give them confidence. When you make false promises to give them a sense of certainty it also feeds the anxiety. Instead, you should give them the confidence that they will be able to handle whatever happens.
- Listen to Your Child: No matter how ridiculous the problem your child is dealing with seems, listen to your child. It is common for children to feel embarrassed by their fears and sharing the truth takes a lot of courage. By listening to your child, you empower them to be honest.
- Praise Positive Efforts: Anxiety can sometimes make it difficult for children to do the simplest of tasks. But when they do them successfully, they deserve to be praised for the effort. Praising your child for their effort can lead them to more success at managing it. Over time, those tiny successes lead to huge improvements in overcoming the anxiety.
- Allow Extra Time: Anxiety causes the fight or flight response to kick in. This means that rational thought cannot take place. And your child may not be able to move forward as expected. As a result your child can take much more time for daily activities like getting ready for the school. Planning for extra time allows for less stress.
- Be Your Child’s Advocate: There are going to be situations, when your people will judge your child on the behavior caused by anxiety. In such situations, it is up to you to support your child. Let those involved with your child know the challenges your child is dealing with.
- Stay Calm: This can be the most difficult aspect of parenting a child with anxiety. It is important to not lose control when helping your child manage anxiety. If you find yourself being anxious, you can see a therapist to learn calming techniques that work for you.
- Seek Professional Help: Within a short period of time, anxiety can go from manageable to severe. Seeking help for your child’s anxiety is always an option before the problem becomes severe. Like you get help for flu, migraines or rashes, you should get help for anxiety. With the right treatment, you can manage your child’s anxiety successfully.
Conclusion
There are some tips to cope with your child’s anxiety. With the right approach, the chance of managing your child’s anxiety becomes an easy possibility.
Anxiety is not only common but also treatable. Seek the help from your family’s pediatrician in East Cobb to help manage the situation.
