Anxiety is a phase people go through when they have feelings of worry, fear, nervousness, discomfort and dismay. It is perfectly normal to feel this way, however, this becomes a disorder if it becomes too much and doesn't go away even if you, as a parent, tries to comfort your son or daughter.
Anxiety in children is said to be a normal phase that kids go through and experience in childhood, however, it has become a common problem, somehow, in today's generation of children. Child anxiety may occur when they first start going to preschool or kindergarten. Many would suddenly generate a sense of fear when they see new faces, which, therefore, will make them afraid of trying new things that they may end up not wanting to go to school yet.
Types of Anxiety Disorders in Children
1. Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. Infants and kids with OCD are those that can't control their obsessions, such as, constantly repeating certain words, always counting, frequently washing hands and many more, which is what they do when they want to control their thoughts and feelings and focus their mind on something else.
2. Phobias or fears. Phobia means being extremely scared of something. For children, this could be dogs, hospitals, blood, water, heights or the dark.
3. Generalized anxiety disorder or GAD. GAD is an illness wherein kids have uncontrollable fears all the time about normal, everyday events, for example, certain family issues, grades, good performance in school, bullies and many more. They want everything in their life to be perfect, for example, regarding grades, they will want it to be the highest possible. This illness and its effect on kids make most of them become perfectionists when they grow older.
4. Separation anxiety disease. This is common among toddlers and infants, as they don't want to be separated from their mother or father. When they are old enough to go to school and parents have to leave them behind, they would usually cry, throw tantrums and demand that their parents stay with them and not leave them behind, or, they would insist for their parents to take them along. Those with this disease fear that something bad will happen to their parents whenever they are not around.
How to help your child in dealing with these diseases
1. Make sure that they stay healthy. Make certain that whatever your child eats is healthy for him or her. Make sure that he or she eats more vegetables than meat, and, completely avoid those that contain fats and other unhealthy substances. Also, make sure that your son or daughter sleeps early at night and gets at least 10 hours of sleep every night.
2. Show your kid how to stay calm. It may be hard for you to show them how to stay calm, especially since there are so many things in the world nowadays that make life extremely stressful. However, you need to do this for them. Show them how it is to stay calm. You should know that they look up only to you for help and comfort. Set a mood and feel of calmness into your home. Don't show any feelings of stress and frustration in front of your kids. If you can do this properly, then, anxiety in children won't be a problem in your family anymore.
3. Consult professional help. If you feel that your children are suffering from child anxiety, you may seek for professional help, such as, going to the pediatrician or visiting your child's school counselor or a child therapist.
For more information about anxiety in children and child anxiety, visit our website childanxietymom.com.
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