Anxiousness in Kids – How to Manage It!

Anxiousness in Kids – How to Manage It!

Worrying is a natural tendency among children. While some of it helps children excel, too much worrying can lead to anxiety related disorders. From friendship woes to homework to fear of failure, there could be a lot of factors that can lead to anxiousness in a kid. This problem is mostly witnessed in school going, children. Some of the common symptoms that are portrayed include the need to be perfectionists, seeking of constant reassurance, getting sick worrying too much, scared of participating in a group event etc.

How to prepare your child to overcome anxiety?

• Help them prepare: One major cause of anxiousness in a child is ill preparation. Be it tests or essays, if a child has not prepared well, he tends to get nervous and suffer from anxiousness. The solution is to teach them various study techniques such as flashcards and quizzes. If this is done regularly and reviewed meticulously, your child will get over the fear of failing and perform better.
• Teach them to focus: Losing focus is a major tendency among kids who tend to suffer from anxiety related disorders. Keeping the concentration going is a major skill that needs to be taught by parents. Kids often sit blankly during tests thinking others are far smarter than they are. Some good method to teach focus is to teach them reverse counting, slow breathing technique, frequent consumption of water etc.
• Pass on the anxiety: Anxiousness has to be passed in form of something. Certain activities, therefore play great strokes in addressing anxiousness. Teach your kids to distress in the form of TV or teach them to write when they are anxious. This not only takes off anxiety from the equation, it helps a kid to relax without the fear of failure.
• Reassurance: Kids suffering from anxiousness often need repeated reassurance about the task in hand. The task here for a parent is to make their kid understand that failure will not impact their relationship with their parents. Often the failure of letting someone down makes a kid anxious. Constant reassurance will curtail the tendency. This being said, parents should ensure that this doesn’t become a habit for the kid. The idea is to make them comfortable and make them less dependent on you.
• Relaxation techniques: A study published by the Journal of School Counselling argued that kids who practised relaxation techniques are far less likely to suffer from anxiety and stress related disorders as compared to their peers. Some of the relaxation techniques that can be easily learned and practised include breathing exercises, meditation, yoga and so on. This exercise helps children to focus and concentrate more. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a psychologist.