Parents know their kids. Their favorite colors, their interests, their dislikes. However, identifying how their children are feeling is not always straight forward. Kids are constantly growing and developing and it can be a lot to keep up with. Between homework, sports practices, and other family obligations; it can be difficult to notice if your child may be struggling with anxiety. You may wonder if some of their stress may just be normal? How can you know? What can parents look out for?
There are several things that caregivers can look to as indicators of potential anxiety related disorders. Oftentimes kids will not just come out and say that they are anxious. We have to take a closer look and notice how anxiety may be appearing in their body. Anxiety is a physiological experience in nature. This means that it impacts the body and its systems. When someone becomes anxious, their body may respond in several different ways. This looks different for each of us. Some of us may experience a racing heart, increased irritability, sweating, or racing thoughts. Getting familiar with what anxiety looks like for your child is important. Here is a helpful list of things to look for.
- Body: headaches, stomach aches, racing heart beat, sweating, shaking, etc.
- Thoughts: imagine negative scenarios, tend to perceive negative events as likely to happen
- Feelings: increased anger and fear
- Behaviors: avoiding, doing things on repeat, yelling, reassurance seeking, rigidity
It is important to note that anxiety does involve all of the four parts listed above. When able to gain insight into what your child’s anxiety looks like, you can be better equipped to support them.
Everyone needs anxiety, as it is an essential human feeling that helps to keep people safe. However, anxiety becomes a problem in a child’s life when it begins to impact their functioning in a negative way. They may stop seeing friends, start to see their grades in school drop, and may isolate themselves more. When this happens it is important that caregivers step in and seek the appropriate services.
Knowing where to turn can be another hurdle for parents. At OCD Spectrum we
specialize in treating anxiety based disorder using evidence based practices. We know what works and have the experience needed to treat your child’s anxiety in an efficient, effective, and empathetic manner.
