Anxiety - what is it 

and how do I support my child who may be anxious?

Anxiety – what is it and how do I support my child who may be anxious?

Feeling anxious is a normal emotion for all of us in situations where there may be dangers and threats. Some young people, however can react more strongly and intensely to situations and this is what we need to look for as parents and educators. 

Before we start this conversation, it is important to understand that feeling anxious is quite different to being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Working with professionals to support young people is key in overcoming anxiety of any level. 

What does anxiety look like? 

Common signs and symptoms of anxiety include:

• feeling more anxious than others their age and level

• having anxious feelings are consistently very intense

• feelings that persist well after the stressful event has passed

• feeling so distressed that it interferes with their capacity

During adolescence, common sources of anxiety include starting secondary school, fitting in with peers, exam stress, body image and family relationships. Worrying about these things isn’t necessarily a sign of a mental health condition. Individuals may need additional support if they experience the following:

• Appearing withdrawn and reluctant to participate in classroom activities or social situations
• Oversensitivity to criticism or feedback 
• Perfectionism and fear of failure 
• Missing classes or excusing themselves to go to the toilet on a regular basis – anxiety often manifests in young people as gut issues & bowel complaints
• Negative thinking and always expecting the worst 
• Challenging behaviour
• Trying to avoid going to school

Be You (Factsheet: Anxiety)

What can I do to support my child?

• Support your child to develop consistent routines, structure and clarity in the day to day helps to ease worry and anxiety
• Help your child to identify internal cues for when they are becoming anxious (e.g. increased heart rate, butterflies in their tummy)
• Discuss being anxious with your child and how a certain level of anxious feeling is completely normal, explain that there are also helpful strategies they can learn to support them in these situations
• Help children to remember situations where they have overcome being anxious and what they used to be successful in this situation
• Challenge them (in a supportive way) to face what makes them anxious – help them to understand that avoiding what makes them anxious, only make the anxious feelings worse the next time
• Seek support from professionals who can provide more rigorous support with anxiety (e.g. Headspace)
• Contact the school to discuss further: contact your child’s Year Level Leader or Head of School to discuss their anxious feelings about school. Together, we can develop a step by step plan to get your child back to school and experiencing success.

Don’t forget that we have Headspace educators coming to Woodmans Hill on Wednesday 30th March at 6.30pm run a session called

 ‘Supporting your child’s mental health and wellbeing’.

To register please visit: https://www.trybooking.com/BXLXS