How to Help a Child With Anxiety? Anxiety is a common symptom in children. In some cases, anxiety has become chronic and severe enough that it can interfere with everyday life. This is the time when you need to seek help from a qualified therapist who will examine your child and determine how to help a child with anxiety problem. The sooner you get help from a specialist, the more of an edge you will have on winning the battle against this debilitating condition.
To make sure you are getting the right kind of help for your child, you need to find a qualified therapist who specializes in treating anxiety disorders. When it comes to finding help for your child, the best place to start is by talking to your primary care physician about the problem. A child might be experiencing a minor form of anxiety disorder, so the doctor will not immediately recommend therapy or medication. But if the disorder is more severe, your pediatrician will encourage you to seek treatment. The earlier you start your child on therapy and medication, the better.
If your child is suffering from panic attacks, there are many ways to conquer that problem. One of the best forms of treatment for an anxiety problem is breathing exercises. Doing deep belly breaths throughout the day can reduce the amount of anxiety your child experiences. Many children with anxiety problems also respond well to cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches them to think of positive thoughts rather than negative thoughts whenever they experience an anxiety attack.
Therapy sessions can help your child learn how to overcome their anxiety problem. It will teach them how to relax when they feel a panic attack coming on and how to cope with the physical symptoms of an attack. Learning coping mechanisms for these attacks are necessary skills for your child to learn, so ask the psychologist you are considering therapy about the techniques he or she will use to help your child with anxiety.
Therapy can also teach your child how to keep calm in potentially dangerous situations. Anxiety attacks cause your child to feel dizzy, hot, shaky and confused. Children have a natural instinct to flee or take cover. When they are exposed to conditions that make them feel anxious, they may retreat and refuse to participate in any activity. You want to help your child understand that being in these dangerous situations is a good thing and that they will be safer if they simply don’t participate.
Learning how to help a child with anxiety will take time and patience. You want to focus on helping your child change his or her behavior before trying to cure their disorder. A mental health professional should be consulted before you try to treat your child on your own. Anxiety disorders can be treated and controlled, but only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe the right type of therapy for your child’s specific needs.