Anxious Child
Nearly one in 24 children will have some sort of child anxiety. So the chances are that you may well know at least one child with this problem and there’s a 4% chance that he or she may be your own child.
A question that many concerned parents ask is “What are the signs of child anxiety?”
Which when you consider it is quite a good place to start because if you don’t know what to look for – how are you going to know if you have found it?
Now, before I give you a list – it’s important to understand that if your child displays one, two or even more of these signs, it does not mean they have an anxiety disorder. It could be just a part of growing up. After all, we have all been guilty of displaying most of the things I have mentioned in the list at some time in our own lives.
12 Signs of Child Anxiety
1. Fighting
2. Tantrums
3. Distress when separated from those close to them
4. Morbid fears of loss
5. Won’t sleep alone
6. Chronic sleep disturbance
7. Restlessness
8. Clingy
9. Nightmares
10. Tears
11. Irritability
12. Sulking
The real problem starts to arise when there are at least five or six of these occurring each day and virtually every day for at least two week. Some experts will say that this should be going on for at least a month. But my belief is that if you wait that long to take action then that allows time for these things to become too deeply ingrained.
NOT only that… I don’t want to see any child have to put up with a problem for that long and just stand by and do nothing. It’s not good for them and neither is it good for those close to them.
I should also mention that this is by no means an exhaustive list as there a few more things I could add – but these seem to be the most common.
Now, as you look at the list, I’m sure you’ll see that some of these fall naturally into age related categories. If your child is of an age when these things are quite common – say a 4 or 5 year old not want to sleep alone – then that’s probably not something to worry about if its the only thing going on. On the other hand if your ten year old starts to play up the same way – that’s not too typical so you should take much more notice and see what else is going on.
The bottom line is simple.
Keep an eye out for these types of behaviour. If they occur in random ways and times then make a mental note but don’t be too alarmed. It probably is just part of growing up.
On the other hand if they are becoming a regular feature in the life of your child and a good number of these signs are appearing around the same time – then take the time to see what’s upsetting your child.
Is there an event that could be that could be the cause of their anxiety?– Something like starting at a new school or have new kids moved in near by; are you and your other half going through financial or family problems?
There is bound to be a common sense reason why your child is become anxious. Taking the time to find out why will really prove to be worthwhile and dealing with the problem quickly will help stop a small issue turning into a big problem.
Photo Credit: Campdarby
