Anxiety
All children and young people get anxious at times, and this is a normal part of their development as they grow up, and develop their ‘survival skills’ so they can face challenges in the wider world. In addition, we all have different levels of stress we can cope with - some people are just naturally more anxious than others, and are quicker to get stressed or worried.
But if you think your child’s anxiety is getting in the way of their day to day life, slowing down their development, or having a significant effect on their schooling or relationships, it is best to try and help them tackle it.
What does anxiety feel like?Anxiety causes a number of reactions in the body, which can feel very unpleasant: They include...
- Feeling shaky, feeling sick or having stomach cramps, or feeling dizzy or faint
- Breathing fast or finding it hard to breathe
- Heart beating fast (palpitations), sweating, tense muscles
- Feeling like you might die
These reactions are designed to make us feel uncomfortable so we are alert and able to respond quickly to danger. But anxiety which happens often, or at the wrong time, can affect the behaviour and thoughts of the anxious person in negative ways.
- Feeling scared, panicky, embarrassed or ashamed a lot of the time
- Not having the confidence to try new things, face challenges or even carry on as normal
- Finding it hard to concentrate, or having problems with sleeping or eating
- Having angry outbursts where the person gets very angry very quickly and feels ‘out of control’
- Worries or negative thoughts going round and round the person’s head, or thinking that bad things are going to happen all the time.
If someone is very anxious they might feel they may feel they have to do or say certain things, or bad things will happen.
What problems can anxiety lead to?
- If a child or young person is very anxious it can affect the whole family. Parents and siblings might be worried about upsetting the anxious person and might have to change or cancel activities and routines to accommodate the anxiety.
- Anxious young people may not want to go out in public, they can find it hard to see friends, take part in activities or meet new people. This can affect their relationships and their development.
- Anxiety can prevent children and young people from doing their best at school and sometimes from attending school or college at all, which will affect their learning and their opportunities later in life.
- Parents of anxious children often find they become very anxious themselves, as they try to protect their child from stressful situations or worry in advance about how they will react.