How To Help An Anxious Child

When you are a parent, you do everything you can to help your child feel better when they aren’t feeling their best. You may nurture them and support what they want to do, but what are you supposed to do when they are feeling anxious and you don’t know how to help? Here’s a look at ways to help an anxious child.

Things To Try

There are a few ways to work on your child’s anxiety, in an attempt to lessen it.

Address Their Health

When you are trying to help your kids work through anything, you need to make sure that all their needs are met first. For instance, do everything you can to make sure that they are eating well, getting enough sleep, and are exercising the recommended amount. Besides that, be sure to take them to checkups with their pediatrician, in order to make sure that they aren’t being affected by any physical ailments.

Seek Out Therapy

Once you are sure that your child’s physical health is on track, you may want to talk to a therapist about how to handle their anxiety. You can opt to get them treatment, if you think they need it, or they feel like they need it. On the other hand, you can seek treatment for yourself. In some instances, parents will seek counseling to work on their parenting skills. This is nothing to be ashamed of. A counselor may be able to help you figure out how to work with your anxious child. Or a therapist may work with your anxious child, so they are able to move towards helping them get rid of the symptoms associated with their anxiety.

There are doctors in your area that you may be able to work with, or you can check out online therapy apps, if you feel like they are more convenient. While both types can help you, online options are able to work on your schedule and you are able to decide how you want to interact with a therapist. Not all of them are able to treat kids, but some of them are. Do a bit of research to see which one you want to check out. Numerous apps are able to work on anxiety issues, including BetterHelp, so this may be one to keep on your list. Keep these things in mind when you are searching for professional mental health help.

Talk To Them About The Situation

If you know that your child feels anxious in certain situations, but you are not sure why, you can talk to them about this. Ask them what aspects cause them anxiety and what they feel will happen. In other words, find out what makes them scared in certain situations. Once you are able to understand these things, you may be able to figure out their point of view better and help them avoid things that bother them. Of course, they should not avoid the things that cause them anxiety completely. It can be beneficial if they are able to work through their anxiety, instead of dodging it entirely.

Let Them Be Anxious (Just A Little Bit)

Let’s face it. It is next to impossible to avoid being anxious at times. You can discuss this with your child and let them know that being anxious is okay, as long as they aren’t too anxious, and it isn’t for a long period of time. Once you are aware of the situations that make them anxious, together you can determine a way that they can work through these situations, where they won’t be overwhelming. This aspect can be discussed with a therapist as well, so you can have the best advice on how to approach the issue.  

Overview

It can be difficult to watch your child when they are anxious but remember that it is okay for them to experience anxiety in small doses. When you are working with a therapist for advice on what to do, or you are seeking therapy for your child, you may be able to see a great reduction in their anxiety. You can also work on the other tips included in this article, to determine if they are able to do some good as well. Be sure to have honest conversations and keep an open dialogue with your child, so they can tell you how they feel. This is something that can lend a hand when it comes to getting them help when they need it.

Author Bio: Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.