Understand the symptoms of childhood anxiety and learn practical tips for dealing with this feeling that affects children.
The feeling of excitement and fear in the face of a situation that has not yet happened is part of many adults’ lives. But what to do if fear also begins to manifest in children?
Like any other emotion, fear occurs in the little ones on common levels, such as the anticipation of the arrival of the birthday or a family outing.
In addition, it is necessary to understand that changes and technological advancements around the world have led to: alpha generation to be born faster and with less patience, of course. These factors, added to the period without lessons and away from their friends, can trigger new emotions, such as childhood anxiety.
Symptoms of Anxiety in Children
Unlike adults, children are often unable to express their emotions verbally, but show several signs of being anxious. That is why it is important that parents or carers are aware of behavioral changes.
The symptoms below are the most common when it comes to anxiety in children. Checking out:
- Difficulty sleeping, in addition to getting up several times during the night
- constant nightmares
- Irritability and Aggression
- crying excessively
- Excessive preoccupation with some routine activity, such as attending class
- Difficulty concentrating
- Regression to past habits, such as peeing on clothes or thumb sucking again
- Changes in appetite for more or less
- Drop in productivity at school
Knowing the key indicators of anxiety in children makes it essential that parents and guardians do not neglect these symptoms and try to investigate what could be behind it? of anxiety in children.
For this it is interesting to map all individual habits of the child and also the family routine. It is also important to consider the emotions of adults who are part of the circle of coexistence of children, as it is possible that this emotional charge is somehow related to childhood anxiety.
In addition, some practical attitudes from parents and caregivers can help reduce anxiety levels in children. Look what they are.
Tips to combat childhood anxiety
1 – Stimulate dialogue
Talking to children about everyday life on a daily basis is something simple and very effective. Through dialogue they are encouraged to develop speaking skills, communication skills and also active listening.
In addition to these factors, talking to the little ones also allows them to see family life as a safe environment, where they can share good and bad times. One way to start a family conversation is to have quality time together.
2 – Name the feelings
With an open dialogue, children will feel more comfortable saying how they feel. At this stage, it is important to explain in a simple way the names of the feelings that evoke the sensations described by them.
Knowing the names of their feelings will help children develop the ability to associate the corresponding names with sensations, facilitating the exposure of their emotions.
See also: How Social-Emotional Intelligence Helps Raise Children
3 – Use Playful Resources
One way to combat anxiety in children is to use playful and fun resources to explain the different types of sensations. In that sense, the family can use personalized books and games to help name feelings.
the personalized book “Meeting the Fear Monster”available on the website of in history, responds to this feeling in a playful and educational way. Bee activities about feelings They are free to download and also help in developing social-emotional skills in a fun way.
4 – Practice relaxing activities
Regularly incorporating moments into the routine that lead the child to slow down and enter a state of serenity can help prevent child anxiety. Prefer activities that bring the little ones in contact with nature, such as an outdoor walk or the gardening practice.
Yoga and meditation also help children cope with anxiety, experts say in this research at the University of Washington (USA).
the personalized book A journey to the inner naturepublished by in history, teaches meditation, relaxation and yoga practices to children. Besides stimulating contact with nature and body autonomy, contributing to emotional development.
Click here to create the custom book and read the full story!
5 – Talk to experts
In some cases, anxiety in children can present itself in more severe forms, making it necessary to go to the doctor and specialized places.
Pediatricians, psychologists and educators are the specialists who can help identify childhood anxiety and present the best solutions for each case, taking into account the particularities of each family.
#fight #anxiety #children
