by Sharon Selby, MA, Registered Clinical Counselor
School has started and emotions are getting activated. Often our children are more anxious than we realize and that’s because anxiety shows up in many different ways.
The Many Signs of Anxiety
Physical symptoms:
headaches
stomach aches
tearfulness
fidgety
Feelings:
sad
fearful
worried
panicked
terror
withdrawn
angry
nervous
Possible Behavioral symptoms:
avoidance
difficulty in going to sleep or staying asleep
social withdrawal
shyness
perfectionistic tendencies
excessive reassurance seeking
easily overwhelmed
low frustration
resistance to change
difficulty transitioning
inflexibility
extremely self-conscious
difficulty sitting still
attention seeking behaviors
aggression
distraction
irritability
oppositional behaviors
temper tantrums
clingy
sensitive
6 Tips to Ease Your Child’s Anxiety
1) Validate their feelings and remind them that everyone, even the teachers, will be feeling nervous at first, and this is normal.
2) For younger ones, put something in their backpack to remind them of home - a stuffy, a blanket, a special rock etc. They may not be allowed to bring it out at school but just having it in the bottom of their backpack feels comforting.
3) Talk about who will be picking them up at pick-up time and what they can look forward to at this time. Ie. Going to the park, going for an ice-cream etc.
4) For children who are more prone to separation anxiety, read the book, The Invisible String (it’s always available via YouTube if you don’t have it) and discuss how there’s always an invisible string made of love between you and your child too so you are always connected even when you’re not in the same room.
5) Write a note for their snack or lunch saying “I love you”. If they’re not yet reading then, you can draw a picture of an eye, a heart and the letter “U” and teach them that this says “I love you”.
6) If your child is really anxious and crying a lot, then see if the school will let you sit in a chair in the hallway outside the classroom. For some children, they need their parent to be around until they have developed a relationship with the teacher.
Sharon Selby, MA
Registered Clinical Counsellor
For more free parenting tips and resources, please visit Sharon’s website at www.SharonSelby.com
