These days, the statistics on anxiety in children is alarming. Approximately 1 in 5 children in the United States meet the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder. Go back 10 to 15 years and the incidence was half of what it is today. Also, parents who struggle with anxiety themselves are 6 to 7 times more likely to have anxious children. Untreated anxiety in children often leads to problems such as poor academic performance, social difficulties and even substance abuse. Their fears and anxieties can also be at the root of sleep problems, patterns of misbehavior, and an inability to participate in many of the joys life has to offer.
The challenge is that we are living in a world that is different than it was just a short time ago. With the progression of the Internet and the readily available information we have through the news, social medial and technology, we are privy to much more negativity in the world. Today’s parents also tend to deal with anxious children differently than in the past. Many parents today have a hard time letting their children experience failure and risk and, in an effort to protect their children from harm, they avoid stressful situations rather than equipping them with the skills needed to effectively cope. This can often create a pattern of avoidance and worry for children than can persist well into adulthood.
How Parents Can Help Their Children Avoid Anxiety
There are several ways parents can reduce the likelihood that their child will struggle with anxiety:
- Pay attention to how you handle risk and uncertainty and how you model this behavior to your child.
- Take efforts to change the language you use in stressful situations to help your child understand that stress is a part of life and though you might be nervous now, it will soon pass.
- Avoid over-reacting to potentially dangerous situations and verbalizing the worst-case scenario and instead, calmly guide your child to a safer state.
- Allow them to experience circumstances that are slightly out of their comfort zone so they may feel what it is like to feel nervous, but then get through it.
- If a parent struggles with their own anxiety, it is important to get the treatment needed to improve in order to set the best example for their child.
