Anxiety in children is becoming increasingly common and leads to learning issues. Children can demonstrate signs of anxiety as early as infancy and if left untreated, anxiety can persist throughout the lifespan. If your child or adolescent is anxious, they may have concentration issues. They may not be able to learn, retain, or grow academically. Children with anxiety commonly get diagnosed with a learning disability due to having so much anxiety daily. As well, children with anxiety may have friendship issues and lose friendships because of high levels of worry and fear. Some children with anxiety also have fears of certain foods and fears of trying new things. Anxiety therapy for children along the Southeastern Shoreline near Mystic, Connecticut helps with self-confidence. Irinel Fishlock is a holistic clinical intern at Wisdom Within Counseling that helps support children and their families.
Anxious children often experience difficulty expressing and regulating their emotions.
Some children may become socially withdrawn and quiet, whereas others may exhibit loud and unwarranted emotional outbursts. It is common for children with anxiety, who need counseling, to cry and become tearful more than usual. They will appear overwhelmed often. Your child may pick their skin, chew on their hair or clothing, or bite their nails when suffering from an obsessive thought.
Anxiety therapy with Irinel Fishlock in Southeastern Connecticut provides holistic coping skills.
Fortunately, there are ways to address anxiety in children and promote healthy growth and development.
Signs of Anxiety in Children
Anxiety in children manifests in many different ways, some of which include
- Crying spells
- Skin picking, pinching, hitting, or other self-harming behaviors
- Restlessness
- Insomnia
- Improper appetite
- Angry or incontrollable outbursts
- Feeling tense or fidgety
- Difficulty concentrating on tasks
- Waking in the night with bad dreams
- Extreme clinginess to a caregiver
- Tummy aches or not feeling well
- Constant worrying
It is imperative to be conscious of these signs in children and to seek support early on.
Click the button below to work with Irinel Fishlock at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Seek the Support of a Child Therapist at Wisdom Within Counseling in Connecticut
A child therapist can provide positive, lifelong coping skills to a child with anxiety. At Wisdom Within Counseling, we specialize in supporting anxious children through the use of creative and expressive therapies. Our team of holistic therapists use art, music, nature, and play therapies to create a safe space for children to thrive. Children need a safe place to tell their story in a way beyond words. Talk therapy is often not appropriate or that supportive for children. Play therapy, art therapy, and music therapies provide children with anxiety a voice through sounds and colors. Children with anxiety may not want to talk in a traditional way about their feelings, in the way an adult can.
Ways to Support Your Child at Home
Limit Screen Time
Excessive use of screen time can heighten anxiety in children. Constant scrolling on social media or Youtube may contribute to ADHD behaviors in children, since their brain is constantly being fed new information from an online newsfeed.
There are specific games like Roblox that are violent and aggressive. For a young child who may want to play this game due to friends who are playing it, it can lead to anxiety and nightmares.
A child may have night mares and trouble sleeping after watching an action, mystery, or violent movie that is rated PG or PG-13.
Children with anxiety may begin acting out or repeating the violent behaviors they see in video games and movies, at school and with friends. This behavior modeling can be a sign your child is being exposed to things causing more anxiety. So, limit screen time and only allow your child to play and watch games and shows rated G, not PG or PG-13. Encourage a limited and routine schedule of screen time each day or each week for your young one. Take time to play catch or toss outdoors, simon says, and interactive board games instead of having screen time. This might look one hour a day of watching TV or playing video games, or no phone use after 3 PM each day.
Encourage Healthy Eating Habits
Irinel Fishlock asserts that diet and nutrition play a significant factor in a child’s ability to manage their anxiety. A diet high in caffeine or added sugars can actually increase levels of anxiety in children. Sodas, cereals, pastries, and other high-sugar foods are not be the best option for sustainable brain fuel. If your child is lacking in potassium, which comes from fruits and veggies, they may suffer from more anxiety. Become aware that caffeine increases anxiety dramatically. Opt for more natural foods such as fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and carbs, and whole grains. One idea to playfully introduce healthy foods to your child is to have them help you cook or bake. Maybe, you pretend you are on a cooking show together and you bake banana oatmeal bars. If your child is involved in the process and has a fun time preparing their snack, they will feel more comfortable and confident trying something new!
Build Capability In Your Child
Children want to feel automatous and independent. Take the to set up a cooking station that is your child’s height. You can research Montessori stations for children online to get an idea. Having a cutting board where they can use a child safe knife to prepare some of their own food can help your child feel capable. You can also involve your children in household chores including laundry, washing the dishes, and taking out the trash. This can provide them with increased feelings of independence and capability.
Implement a Structured Bedtime Routine
Getting a full night’s sleep is crucial to a child’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Structure helps children with anxiety feel safe because there is a consistent routine. Sleep allows for the body to rest and reset. It is important to stick to a structured bedtime routine. Remember, children are always watching their parents and caregivers. So, modeling this will be very important.
Put your phone away one hour before bedtime and show your child how you want them to practice self-care too. This may look like turning off all electronics an hour before bed and beginning to unwind by reading a book or doing a meditation together. Guided meditations can help your child feel safe, thus lowering anxiety and obsessive, worrisome thoughts. Reading together can reduce anxiety and foster parent child bonding. Anxiety therapy for children near Niantic, Old Saybrook, Colchester, and Mystic, Connecticut can include reading books. Reading a book about a child overcoming anxiety can be supportive and empowering for your child who may not be able to see a way out or know how to cope.
Engage in Creative Outlets to Alleviate Anxiety in Children
Having a healthy and positive outlet to release emotions can significantly benefit a child with anxiety. At Wisdom Within Counseling in Southeastern Connecticut, our team of therapists encourage outlets such as sports, creating art work, playing outside, listening to or playing music, horseback riding, theater, or dance. Right in anxiety therapy for children near Westbrook, East Lyme, Stonington, and Mystic, Connecticut, you child can dance to their favorite song to lower anxiety.
Wisdom Within Counseling specializes in anxiety therapy for children near East Lyme, Waterford, and Mystic, Connecticut
Wisdom Within Counseling specializes in supporting children with anxiety. Through the use of art, music, nature, and play therapies, we encourage children to process difficult emotions in healthy ways. Our office spaces contain an array of toys, art materials, crafts, musical instruments, games, and other activities to choose from. Children need a language to communicate how they feel in addition to words. Play therapy for children builds independence, confidence, self-esteem, and positive coping strategies for anxiety. Your child can feel a sense of relaxation in session, and translate this to life outside of their holistic anxiety therapy sessions in Southeastern Connecticut.
Wisdom Within Counseling is located in Niantic, CT and offers video sessions for parents needing support.
Wisdom Within Counseling help anxious children gain confidence through art, yoga, music, and play therapy.
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Surrounding towns that we help include Bozrah, Waterford, Old Lyme, Ivoryton, Centerbrook, Essex, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Lisbon, Montville, Glastonbury, Colchester, East Haddam, Hadlyme, Hamburg, Old Saybrook, and Madison. In farther away towns, we offer video counseling in Connecticut to Portland, Berlin, East Hampton, Haddam, Litchfield, Simsbury, Fairfield, Cobalt, Cromwell, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Clinton, Wethersfield, Middlebury, Waterbury, Guilford, Chester, Deep River, Moodus, Durham, and Middletown.
