
"How to Help Your Child with Their Educational Anxiety,"
By Noah Smith, Guest Writer
As children grow up, they suddenly find themselves dealing with more pressure and responsibility than they’ve ever experienced, and it can be a huge stressor. Kids and adolescents, with their changing bodies and minds, are rather susceptible to developing anxiety - general anxiety, social anxiety, and more specific anxiety, like what comes with the educational experience. If your child is having troubles keeping up or staying interested at school and that’s causing them anxiety, here are some ways to help them cope.
What does anxiety look like?
Sometimes it’s hard for parents to spot real anxiety. Most kids get nervous, and most have some issue with school. It’s not always clear whether a child is simply going through the normal growing pains of if they are developing a real anxiety disorder.
“Essentially, anxiety in children tends to manifest as negative behaviors that you may have glimpsed briefly in the past, but that are becoming consistent and intense. Over time, these behaviors can become frustrating to parents who feel unable to handle these newly arising attitudes,” says Anxiety.org.
Agitation, tantrums, school avoidance, difficulty sleeping, and expressing unrealistic expectations regarding their school performance are all signs that your child may be suffering from an anxiety issue.
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is “often accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches, muscular tension, restlessness, heart palpitations, and stomach upset. Children and adolescents with GAD may worry excessively about their performance and competence at school or in sporting events,” says ChildrensHospital.org.
What you can do about it
If you sense there is a problem, the first thing you should do is talk to your child about it. Many parents mistakenly believe that if they ignore a problem like anxiety, it’ll just go away. They think that addressing it “makes it real” and will inevitably make it worse. However, anxiety must be tackled head-on.
A lot of the times, educational anxiety in kids is caused, at least in part, by worrying about falling behind or “not being good enough." Instead of just tackling the symptoms of the anxiety, it’s vital that one tackles the root of the problem. If your child is struggling in a certain subject, it may be smart to get the help of a tutor (for advice on whether a tutoring center or private tutor is best, check here). Talk to your child's teachers and explain the situation. See if there are after-school opportunities to help your child learn and catch up.
Anxiety can also come from the fear of new situations and how they could lead to failure. Do not allow your child to “hide out” from their anxiety.
“Tell your child that it's normal to feel a little scared in some situations. But nervousness doesn't mean he should stay home or that he won't enjoy himself. Remind him of new situations he's dealt with … stress that although it was difficult at first, later he was glad he did it,” suggests Parents.com.
It’s inevitable that your child will get anxious at times, even if you are treating the root causes. Teaching a child proper relaxation exercises like slow, focused breathing and even practices like meditation and yoga (they aren’t just for adults!) is paramount to success in dealing with anxiety.
When talking to children about their anxiety, you should let them know that you know it’s real (don’t downplay it) and let them know that they should not let it control their lives. People with anxiety may have to deal with it for years, but with the proper treatments and techniques, it is a highly-manageable condition.
Photo Credit: Pixabay.com
*Note: Noah Smith is a guest writer for Siblings with a Mission who has an interest in anxiety disorders and in helping patients and families experiencing anxiety. The suggestions, information, and links provided in this article are meant to serve as a resource, and are not intended to serve as professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support. The information and links in this article should not be considered exhaustive but as a start for further research and inquiry into the subject matter.
Siblings with a Mission is a non-profit, international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
By Noah Smith, Guest Writer
As children grow up, they suddenly find themselves dealing with more pressure and responsibility than they’ve ever experienced, and it can be a huge stressor. Kids and adolescents, with their changing bodies and minds, are rather susceptible to developing anxiety - general anxiety, social anxiety, and more specific anxiety, like what comes with the educational experience. If your child is having troubles keeping up or staying interested at school and that’s causing them anxiety, here are some ways to help them cope.
What does anxiety look like?
Sometimes it’s hard for parents to spot real anxiety. Most kids get nervous, and most have some issue with school. It’s not always clear whether a child is simply going through the normal growing pains of if they are developing a real anxiety disorder.
“Essentially, anxiety in children tends to manifest as negative behaviors that you may have glimpsed briefly in the past, but that are becoming consistent and intense. Over time, these behaviors can become frustrating to parents who feel unable to handle these newly arising attitudes,” says Anxiety.org.
Agitation, tantrums, school avoidance, difficulty sleeping, and expressing unrealistic expectations regarding their school performance are all signs that your child may be suffering from an anxiety issue.
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is “often accompanied by physical symptoms such as headaches, muscular tension, restlessness, heart palpitations, and stomach upset. Children and adolescents with GAD may worry excessively about their performance and competence at school or in sporting events,” says ChildrensHospital.org.
What you can do about it
If you sense there is a problem, the first thing you should do is talk to your child about it. Many parents mistakenly believe that if they ignore a problem like anxiety, it’ll just go away. They think that addressing it “makes it real” and will inevitably make it worse. However, anxiety must be tackled head-on.
A lot of the times, educational anxiety in kids is caused, at least in part, by worrying about falling behind or “not being good enough." Instead of just tackling the symptoms of the anxiety, it’s vital that one tackles the root of the problem. If your child is struggling in a certain subject, it may be smart to get the help of a tutor (for advice on whether a tutoring center or private tutor is best, check here). Talk to your child's teachers and explain the situation. See if there are after-school opportunities to help your child learn and catch up.
Anxiety can also come from the fear of new situations and how they could lead to failure. Do not allow your child to “hide out” from their anxiety.
“Tell your child that it's normal to feel a little scared in some situations. But nervousness doesn't mean he should stay home or that he won't enjoy himself. Remind him of new situations he's dealt with … stress that although it was difficult at first, later he was glad he did it,” suggests Parents.com.
It’s inevitable that your child will get anxious at times, even if you are treating the root causes. Teaching a child proper relaxation exercises like slow, focused breathing and even practices like meditation and yoga (they aren’t just for adults!) is paramount to success in dealing with anxiety.
When talking to children about their anxiety, you should let them know that you know it’s real (don’t downplay it) and let them know that they should not let it control their lives. People with anxiety may have to deal with it for years, but with the proper treatments and techniques, it is a highly-manageable condition.
Photo Credit: Pixabay.com
*Note: Noah Smith is a guest writer for Siblings with a Mission who has an interest in anxiety disorders and in helping patients and families experiencing anxiety. The suggestions, information, and links provided in this article are meant to serve as a resource, and are not intended to serve as professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support. The information and links in this article should not be considered exhaustive but as a start for further research and inquiry into the subject matter.
Siblings with a Mission is a non-profit, international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.