Student Wellbeing

From the Co-ordinator of Counselling and Student Health

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From the School Counsellors 

Anxiety in Children and Young People 

What is Anxiety? 

Anxiety is a normal and healthy response to stress. It naturally rises and falls during times of uncertainty or change—such as assessment periods, challenging world events, or moving house. 

Anxiety becomes a concern when it is persistent and begins to interfere with daily life. This might look like difficulty engaging in learning, withdrawing from special interests like sports or hobbies, avoiding friends, or experiencing disrupted sleep. 

What Might Anxiety Look Like? 

Thinking 

• Worrying or overthinking 
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Unhelpful thinking patterns, such as jumping to worst‑case scenarios 

Emotions 

• Become tearful or overwhelmed 
• Have emotional outbursts 
• Show anger, irritability, or fear 
• Display noticeable changes in mood 

Physical 

• Upset stomach 
• Increased heart rate 
• Short, shallow breathing (sighing or yawning) 
• Sweating 
• Pins and needles 

Behaviour 

• Changes in sleep or appetite 
• Social withdrawal 
• Avoidance of school or activities they usually enjoy 
• Loss of interest in sports or hobbies 

Practical Coping Strategies for Anxiety in Children 

Create a Safe, Non‑judgmental Environment:  Give your child space to express their feelings by listening closely and validating their experience. Try to resist the urge to immediately fix the situation or accommodate the thing they’re anxious about—your calm presence is often more helpful than a solution. 

Notice Your Own Response: It’s common for a parent’s anxiety to rise when their child is distressed. Grounding yourself, pausing before reacting, and modelling your own self‑care and coping strategies can help your child feel steadier and show them what healthy regulation looks like. 

Breathing: Slow, steady breathing helps calm the nervous system. Encourage your child to take a gentle inhale and then a longer, slower exhale—like blowing out a birthday candle. This helps shift the body out of “fight‑or‑flight” mode. 

Physical Movement: Movement helps release the physical tension that builds during anxiety. Activities like kicking a ball, skipping, riding a bike, or even jumping on the spot can help the body complete the stress response and reduce uncomfortable sensations. 

Free Play: Unstructured play helps younger children stay grounded in the present moment. When they’re absorbed in imaginative or sensory play, it naturally interrupts cycles of worry and gives their mind a break. 

Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts: Support your child to explore their worries from different angles—worst‑case, best‑case, and most realistic scenarios. Writing these down together can make worries feel more manageable. From there, help them create a simple plan of action so they feel more prepared and in control. 

Seeking Professional Support: If your child’s anxiety is beginning to affect their daily life, reaching out for professional support can make a meaningful difference. Early intervention is consistently linked with better long‑term outcomes for children and young people. 

If your child isn’t ready to engage with a professional themselves, you can still take an active role. Speaking with a qualified practitioner can give you practical strategies to support your child at home and help them feel more secure and understood. 

Resources and Further Reading 

The Brave Program: The BRAVE Program is an interactive, online program for the prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety. The programs are free and provide ways for children and teenagers to better cope with their worries. There are also programs for parents.

Login | BRAVE Self-Help Program 

Fear-less Triple P: Fear-Less Triple P is a program that helps you set a good example of coping with anxiety, coach children to become more emotionally resilient, and develop your own toolbox of strategies. 

Fear-Less Triple P – If your child is anxious | Triple P 

School TV: School TV has an extensive range of wellbeing resources for parents, and a whole section dedicated to anxiety in children and young people. 

Anxiety & Young People | SchoolTV 

Kids Helpline: 

Kids Helpline | Phone Counselling Service | 1800 55 1800               

Raising Children: Evidence-based parenting information for all stages of development. 

Raising Children Network