Understanding Anxious Feelings and How to Help

Are you worried that your child has a lot of anxious feelings, or seems worried a lot of the time? Everyone feels worried or anxious at points in their life. Normally, there’s a specific reason behind it.

Your child may be struggling with school work, worried about moving schools, or coping with a significant change in their life. Children can also become anxious if they have a traumatic experience.

Signs of feeling anxious include:

• Nightmares and night terrors
• Wetting the bed
• Difficulty sleeping, broken sleep, or waking very early
• Becoming angry, or sudden mood swings
• Withdrawing from friends and social situations
• Struggling to concentrate
• Negative thoughts
• Persistent absence from school
• Eating much more or less than usual
• Problems at school

Some children are naturally more anxious than others. Anxiety becomes a problem if it affects your child’s wellbeing.

For example, you’d expect your child to feel anxious before they take a big test. It’s healthy for them to learn how to deal with these feelings.