Anxiety can be a normal and adaptive experience: the anxiety the first day of school or before giving a big presentation can help us be alert, ready, and excited. However, when stressors exceed the capacity we have to manage them and anxiety is escalated to a significant or sustained level, some children may experience different physical and emotional symptoms that indicate a need for more help.
Physical symptoms: Anxiety can look look differently in every person. Noticing if your child struggles with sleep, changes in eating habits, fatigue, restlessness, tension, inattention, or stomach/body pain, may help you identify if your child is anxious.
Emotional symptoms: Common signs of anxiety include increased worry, irritability, crying, clinginess, defiance, and outbursts. Some people may think obsessively about things, for example: cleaning or tidiness.
Problems with school: A shift in academic functioning may be one sign of anxiety. Consider the following questions and check in with your child about how they feel things are going: Are they complaining that they cannot focus on a class? Are they not attending classes or google meets? Are you hearing about frequent classroom disruptions like talking to friends, interrupting, making noises? Is your child visiting the bathroom or nurse more frequently? Or are they not turning in their work? Do they spend too much time on assignments? Or worry excessively about grades?
Problems with relationships: Anxiety may cause disruptions in a child's relationships with family and friends. A child who avoids social settings may be experiencing a degree of anxiety. Children who are defiant or very shy could also be anxious. A child that is clingy to their parents may be struggling with some separation anxiety. Notice how your child is interacting with others.
