How To Prevent Anxiety In Children
Through some simple strategies we can teach our child to overcome this anxiety.
Anxiety is a mental state that does not only affect adults. Because children can also feel a lot of anxiety.
Its consequences are varied and can affect the child’s physical and mental well-being, as well as relationships. Next, we’ll show you how to prevent anxiety in children through some very simple techniques.
Anxiety is a defense mechanism against a threat or danger. As an adaptive function to our environment, anxiety is as positive as it is natural.
However, the problem arises when it appears unjustifiably and frequently. This happens when the person feels very strong fears or concerns regardless of whether the situations are justifiable or not.
In relation to the factors that influence a person to suffer from anxiety, we can mention the biological factors, those related to personality and the environment.
How does anxiety manifest in children?
Children who suffer from anxiety experience the following symptoms:
- Intense fear.
- Concern.
- Irritability.
- Agitation.
- Nervousness.
It also causes physical inconvenience to people. Children, of course, are no exception. An anxious child may have the following symptoms:
- Fainting.
- Palpitations.
- Feverable frames.
- Wet, icy hands.
- Headaches or stomach pains.
- Insomnia and even convulsions.
What situations can cause a child anxiety?
If we want to know how to prevent anxiety in children, it is important to recognize when this feeling can appear. As we said earlier, there are three types of factors that influence a person to suffer from anxiety.
In relation to biological factors, nothing can be done, as they are embedded in the child’s mind and even genetics. Regarding personality, it is possible to teach problem solving techniques, as well as modify the child’s lifestyle so that he can live better.
Regarding the third, this is where we can fix more aspects. We must pay attention to which situations the child lives in their social circles (at school, in extracurricular classes or in their own family) that result in distress for them.
How to prevent anxiety in children
The following recommendations may prove effective if you want to prevent anxiety in children. Remember that detecting the cause is very important in determining the course of treatment.
talk to the child
Ask her what worries her, why, and how she feels about it. You should be available for her to vent, but not push her too hard or force her to tell her what she doesn’t want.
lead by example
Always behave sensibly and reflect well on your every action. Thus, little by little, the child will assimilate this behavior and will learn that everything has a solution.
teach how to face problems
You can use the snowball metaphor. The more we let it go, the bigger it will become. Thus, the child will understand that problems exist to be overcome and help us to become better people.
Ignoring the child’s concerns
If we judge everything from an adult’s point of view, there are bound to be issues that will seem less important and we won’t understand the reason for the child’s anxiety.
We should avoid this way of thinking, as what may be irrelevant for us can be a great challenge for a child.
be understanding
If a child feels lonely in an unpleasant situation, his anxiety will increase. If, on the contrary, we show affection and support, she will feel more confident to face any kind of circumstance that may arise.
Congratulate on achievements
In large part, anxiety is due to the belief that you are incapable of facing a problem or a challenge.
If we make the child realize the capabilities he has, his mindset will change and he will be able to face anything in a more positive way.
let the child have fun
Excessive demands on the part of parents can wreak havoc on children’s personalities. On the contrary, if you allow her to have fun and relieve tension every day, the worries will have less room to occupy the little ones’ minds.
As a final recommendation, we can add the act of being involved in our children’s lives, in the best sense of the phrase. Without pressuring or invading their privacy, it is good to be aware of what happens in their daily lives.
In this way, we will be able to detect a possible focus of conflict early and we will be able to help the child to face this situation. Although there is no magic recipe for how to prevent anxiety in children, we can work on their attitude to solve problems.
