Navigating the Anxiety Wave: 9.4% of Children Experience Anxiety, Here’s What Parents Can Do

Anxiety is a common issue among children, with approximately 9.4% of children aged 3-17 years experiencing diagnosed anxiety¹[6]. This number has been on the rise, increasing 27% from 2016 to 2019²[7]. As parents, understanding and addressing this issue is crucial for our children’s wellbeing. Here are some strategies that can help, inspired by resources on Huddle Wisdom²¹.

Understanding Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal part of life and all children will experience it at some point³2. It’s when there’s too much anxiety, or it occurs too often, that it becomes uncomfortable³2. Anxiety can present as fear or worry, but can also make children irritable and angry¹[6]. Some anxious children keep their worries to themselves, so the symptoms can be missed¹[6].

Strategies for Managing Anxiety

1. Open Communication: Maintain an open dialog with your child and encourage them to talk with you about their feelings³2. This can help your child to build resilience and emotional intelligence³2.

2. Understanding the Physiology of Anxiety: During anxious moments, children don’t always hear what you have to say³2. They have a rapid flood of chemicals that brings physical responses in the body – the fight-or-flight response used for survival³2. Calming your child physiologically is important. Calm breathing can help achieve this³2.

3. Timing and Managing Your Child’s Anxiety: We need to be calm and in a good head space to, firstly, settle the child in a confident way³2. Then we can respond most effectively. We can underestimate the impact that our own stress can have on a child³2.

4. Teach Your Child to Identify What Makes Them Anxious: Work through logical solutions and helpful thought challenges³2. For example, “Yes, Dad’s job means he chases baddies, but most often he does this with another police officer”, or “Yes, that did happen, but Mum is fine and has managed this okay.”³2

5. Confronting Fears: Gently encourage mini goals that lead to the bigger goal³2. When each mini goal is comfortable for the child, check in and see if they are ready for the next mini step³2.

Remember, it’s important to be patient and supportive. Anxiety can be a challenging issue to deal with, but with understanding and the right strategies, we can help our children navigate through it.