Anxiety in children, guidelines to discover the symptoms
Anxiety in children: Adults often complain, saying that they are “stressed.”The first step to understanding the role stress plays in your life is to remember that stress is a perception. This means that factors that may be stressful for some people may not be for others, and that happens with respect to anxiety in children. The ringing of the phone, the slamming of doors, the noise of car traffic, the noise of heavy machinery working on the street, all, can be stress factors that can influence differently from person to person.
When stressors are properly channeled, they can become the impetus that will help you get better results. However, if not properly channeled, a stressor can create chaos in your life. Children can also get stressed. Unfortunately, we rarely think that children can also get “stressed out.”Adults often perceive children’s anxiety reactions as a “behavior problem.”
UNDERSTANDING THE MIND OF A CHILD
You might think that children who are “stressed out” are having an overreaction, after all they have neither the responsibilities nor the demands of an adult. This premise is true, we have to think about the benchmarks of a child, his limited experiences and knowledge. Taking these such facts into consideration we need to rethink how we conceptualize, react and respond to the daily experiences of the little ones.
Ironically, children show signs of anxiety that are much more visible and identifiable than in those shown by adults. Due to the large amount of indoctrination and adaptations that adults have to make during their lives, they are much more accustomed to camouflage, deny, or ignore the visibly revealing signs of anxiety in children.
Not to mention, that on many occasions most of the stress suffered by adults is “self-induced.”Children express their anxieties and frustrations through the:
- Rejection
- Oppose
- Resistance
- Irritability
- Bad temper
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Excessive crying, or crying at the very least
- Blow
- Difficulty concentrating
- Change eating habits
- Stomach discomfort
- Unwillingness to participate in the activities
- Night terror
- Fear
- Apprehension
- Lack of energy
- Disinterest in activities
Although it is not a surprise, children need your support and guidance to change their reactions to some factors of anxiety in children, rethink their reactions and process everything at the right time, whether it is a stressor or simply a common experience that needs to be reprocessed. Your first response to your child’s continuous reaction to any of the behaviors mentioned above has to be understanding. Avoid scolding or reprimanding being the first reaction or the first response to your son or daughter’s behavior.
Often this behavior is the distress call that the child is making to get your attention, and not a direct cause of anxiety in a child. And a behavior focused on support can often remedy the situation immediately, the use of scolding will only increase your child’s reaction to stress, therefore, you will aggravate the situation instead of improving it.
ANXIETY IN CHILDREN COULD HIDE SOME PROBLEM
If your child’s reactions persist for more than a day, it is imperative that you try to find out what is precipitating it. Take your child and take him to a room where he can be quiet and isolated without interruptions.
Start by asking questions. Avoid asking questions the guy What’s wrong with you?
You should ask questions that begin with: who, what, when, where, how. Note that the word “Why” will not be ready. The word “Why” may seem like an interrogation is taking place and if you avoid using it, you will make your child feel safer to express his feelings and thoughts. Assess your child’s work or play level. If there is any kind of excess in their activities, games, sports, video games, television, violence on TV or in movies or any other highly stimulating activity. He checks whether he is getting enough sleep, whether he is getting proper nutrition, exercises or free time. Test if there has been any change in the family environment or in the dynamics of the family relationship.
In the minds of children it is necessary to create a sense of balance for their world, they can depend on this sense to organize their life. It is sudden changes in that balance generate anxiety in children. Last but not least, you should be the example for your child of how to lead a balanced life between play and work. It is not an easy task in today’s hectic world, but as I said above most of the phenomenon of stress is “self-induced.”