Every parent’s sole responsibility is to ensure the well-being of their children, physically as well as mentally. According to prominent child psychologists, childhood anxiety and mental disorders can only worsen if not treated in-time. It will not only affect your little one’s academic performance but will also impact their emotional and mental health. And that’s not a piece of good news!

What are the symptoms of anxiety amongst young children?

Before diving into how you can help your kids cope with their anxiety issues, you need to know about what are the symptoms that you need to look out for.

Irrespective of any age group, children that are dealing with anxiety disorders exhibit symptoms like frequent stomach or headaches, shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, irregular sleep cycle, rapid or abnormal breathing, poor or lost appetite, muscle aches, and many more. Also, few kids tend to gag or choke while having a panic attack.

Apart from these physical symptoms, there are some behavioral or psychological symptoms you need to look out for in your kids. These symptoms include frequent and abnormal reassurance, rigidity in getting things done, feeling threatened or frightened, and getting overwhelming by new experiences. And if your child starts making excuses to avoid going to school, which he/she once loved, it is a clear sign that something is seriously wrong that needs your immediate attention.

So, if you feel that your children are having a hard time coping with anxiety in their school days, here are some tips that can come in handy for every parent. 

• Considering counseling is the first step.

You should know that if your child is in the middle of an anxious moment or feeling restless, frightened about having a severe panic attack, the first thing to do in that very moment is to calm them down and make them feel safe. 

Next, you need to encourage them to talk about their feelings but avoid asking leading questions like - “Are you worried about the next test tomorrow?”, “Did you forget to do your homework?” “Is someone bullying you at school?” This will make them feel nervous and might have another breakdown.

Instead, you should ask open-ended questions like - “How’re things at school?” “What happened in the recess today?” Such questions will help you start a conversation and know about the root cause of the problem. Also, it would be best if you learned about the triggers that cause panic attacks so that you can find better ways to calm them down.

In fact, you should also try to take regular trips to school and scan your child’s performance by talking to the faculties and fellow teachers. This will help you be involved in your children’s lives at school. 

• Encourage them to participate in extracurricular activities.

As a parent, you might want your kids to excel in their academics, but it is your responsibility to not let them feel burdened by burying them under piles of books and assignments. Your unrealistic expectations could be one of the major causes why your children might be feeling a little overwhelmed. But it’s never too late to change. Right?

So, according to the academicians at Allaccelerated.org, every school should focus on building a positive environment to nurture the talents of the students and contribute to enhancing their metacognitive skills by providing them an opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities at school.

Suppose your child loves to play chess or wants to pursue his/her passion for photography, so you can ask them to join various clubs where they’ll stay busy by learning about something different. Helping them to chase the passions and interests could be used as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety. 

Plus, being active in school curricular activities will definitely look good on your child’s college application. Therefore, by participating in the olympiads and being a member of some fantastic clubs, your kids would not only be learning to manage their anxiety issues but will also be preparing for their better future. Isn’t that awesome?

• Find interesting ways to study.

What if your little one is anxious because he/she is losing interest in studies? Believe it or not but that can be a big deal for a child who’s gifted with exceptional qualities. So, it is your responsibility as a parent to restore your child’s interest in academics. 

Lack of interest in studies can definitely become a problem for your kids due to various factors such as learning difficulties, emotional traumas, trouble concentrating, and many others. Thus, causing severe panic attacks. 

For this, you need to talk to the concerned faculties at school and find out about the issues your child is facing. That will help you know about the root cause of the problems and find solutions for them. 

For example, you can make the study sessions fun with the help of a few modern techniques, such as making them see video recorded lectures to keep up with the curriculum. 

You need to know that every child is unique in its own way; not every technique works for everybody. Being a parent, you just need to observe your kids and find out what will work for them the best to restore their interest in studies. Once the word “boring” gets replaced with “Yay,” you’ll know that your job is done.

Final words, 

Stress, depression, and anxiety don’t do any good to anybody, especially for kids. Those young people are not supposed to spend their childhood days worrying and getting anxious or experiencing panic attacks. Thus, whenever you feel that your child is suffering from anxiety or depression, you know what to do. Right? So, maintain a positive relationship with your children, talk to them, and half of the problems will get solved automatically.