As a parent, you may be worried about your child’s anxiety. It’s important to know that children can overcome it and live the happy childhoods they deserve. Anxiety is more than just fear – it’s a feeling of helplessness and a sense that there is no way out. It can be debilitating, preventing children from living the lives they want and keeping them apart from their friends. If your child suffers from severe or chronic anxiety, seek treatment from a mental health professional. There are many options available, including a psychiatrist or therapist specializing in anxiety disorders and behavioral therapy. Many insurance plans cover these visits in whole or in part.
The goal isn’t to remove the source of the anxiety, but rather to teach kids how to manage it so they can function and not let it control them. This requires parents to walk a fine line between respecting their children’s fears and encouraging them to overcome them. The best approach is to encourage them to try things, like dogs, that scare them, one step at a time, so they can build confidence by overcoming their fears and seeing the results for themselves.
Anxiety is a natural part of life, and most kids experience it at some point. Unlike normal anxiety, though, children with anxiety disorders can’t stop worrying or get the reassurance they need from you. In fact, they often get more anxious over time, rather than less. They may avoid activities they are afraid of, such as riding the subway or taking a test, or even stay home from school because of their anxiety.
Children with anxiety often have a chemical imbalance in their brain that alters their response to stress. Certain traumas or prolonged periods of stress can also trigger an anxiety disorder. If a child’s anxiety isn’t managed early, it can become worse and prevent them from living the life they deserve.
In Freeing Your Child from Anxiety, childhood anxiety disorder specialist Tamar Chansky provides powerful, practical strategies that will allow your child to regain control of their emotions and return to the joy of childhood. From social anxiety to Tourette’s Syndrome to obsessive compulsive disorder, Freeing Your Child from Anxiety teaches parents how to use proven methods to break the cycle of fear and help their children become the secure, confident, HAPPY kids they are meant to be.