Every parent is calm and happy when their child is cheerful, liberated and cheerful, but unfortunately this is not always the case. It is natural for our child to be in a bad mood from time to time or to become more frustrated in certain situations. As a parent we can help our child recognize situations that cause anxiety and help him learn to deal with them not only the situation, but also the feeling. THE children often cannot put into words exactly what they feel, which also hurts them, or just because they don't speak yet, or they simply don't have the right vocabulary to put it into words. We can do a lot to teach our child to put his feelings into words. In addition to naming the child's feelings, let's act out the different emotions with our child in front of a mirror, identify them with the help of pictures or display them in role plays. Adequate recognition of emotions helps children navigate social relationships and cope with difficulties and reduces the number of "hysterics". Anxiety is a very difficult emotion to define and not only for children. That what is anxiety and how can it be recognized the anxious child is described further on in our article.
What is anxiety?
In a word: stress. Everyone knows the feeling of being worried, tense, and often can't even articulate exactly what causes these feelings. A feeling of anxiety can permeate our insides. Everyone has experienced anxiety in their lives. E.g. before a performance, during an exam during a medical examination. According to today's psychological understanding, anxiety is a reaction to some perceived or real danger. It is not caused by the situations themselves, but by how we evaluate them. Sometimes a certain amount of anxiety can be beneficial, it can help us cope with real "dangers" and motivate us to perform better at school or at work.
Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways in children and adults. First, let's see what it is difference between anxiety and fear. According to Sadock, Sadock and Ruiz (2015), anxiety is a "diffuse, unpleasant, vague emotion". Anxiety is not the result of a known or specific threat. Rather, the mind from his interpretation it comes from possibly to emerging dangers. The fear an emotional response to a known or definite threat. Fear is concrete.
What are the warning signs to which we should definitely be sensitive as parents?
It is worth suspecting excessive anxiety if our child is used to it his behavior changes significantly. The appearance of physical symptoms is definitely an indication. Because anxiety does not only appear on a mental and emotional level, it can also cause changes in our body. Children often also experience functional impairment, i.e. a there is a decline in previously acquired abilities. For example, the child who has already cleaned his room pees again. Or let's say he needs the pacifier more than before. However, it is important to emphasize that on this symptoms should be discussed with the pediatrician first, before consulting a psychologist to rule out possible organic causes.
- sleep problems
- lack of appetite
- peeing
- common diseases
- abdominal pain, headache, dizziness
Photo: Upbility Publications (translated by Viktória Szabó)
Photo: Pinterest (translated by Viktória Szabó)
It is also worth paying attention to if our child's previous behavior changes, for example, he often cries. Or he is aggressive in a tense situation, hurts others or himself, either verbally or physically. Behavior is a change outbursts of anger, irritability can also appear in the form or, on the contrary, excessively withdrawn we can have a child. In children, defiance can also appear as a coping strategy, so we do not necessarily have to immediately think that our child is anxious. Anxious children they may require more parental presence, it is difficult for them to be separated from their mother and father. You may become more sensitive in the social relationships that appear in his environment, he is offended sooner than before. Many children with anxiety it cannot let go of its temporary object, because he is constantly looking for security and needs self-reassurance. As a behavioral symptom, nail biting and skin tearing is also a strong indication of anxiety. The child is for him "freezes" in an anxiety-provoking situation, he doesn't answer the questions put to him, he doesn't play, he moves aside. The deterioration of performance in the school age group, and the reduction of peer relationships can be attention-grabbing in terms of detecting anxiety.
The anxious child has a negative thoughts predominate, which he formulates verbally, in many cases he makes negative statements about himself, expected events and his environment. They can appear irrational fears also, for example, he starts to fear dogs, even though he has had no previous negative experiences. The anxious child it is difficult to divert your thoughts, he chews and worries a lot, in a way that is sometimes incomprehensible to the outside observer.
The most significant problem is when anxiety becomes more and more pervasive in everyday life to the extent that it interferes with the daily functioning of the family. At this point, it is worth thinking and asking for professional help in solving the situation.
Summary
This article briefly introduced the characteristics of anxiety and the physical, thought or behavioral characteristics of an anxious child. If you suspect that your child is experiencing increased anxiety, you should contact your family doctor or psychologist about the problem. In the following psychologically-themed article, we collect tips and tricks for dealing with milder anxiety that you can try and apply at home.
