Every child experiences anxiety differently. They have different symptoms and different triggers. While one child might by very anxious about not being able to go out and meet their friends, another might like staying home. One child might be okay with online classes, another might find them very frustrating.
Parents should ask questions about anything they notice or want to understand to show their interest and love for their child. Children want to be heard and listened to. This is the best way to understand what you child is experiencing.
Some kids with anxiety keep worries to themselves. Others talk about their worries with a parent or teacher. They might ask over and over whether something they worry about will happen. But it's hard for them to feel OK, no matter what a parent says.
If you notice that your child is showing symptoms of anxiety, take note of any other symptoms, try to reduce stressors, but most importantly, talk to your child, ask them questions to better understand their perspective.
If your child is unsure about what is bothering him/her, ask more pointed questions to determine if the anxiety is covid related or general anxiety. Some anxieties are specific to covid. For example, some children experience anxiety because they imagine the depiction of the covid virus (the spiked circular red object) entering their body. The only way to know if your child is having thoughts like this is to talk to them and ask them questions about what is causing their anxiety.
Encourage them to let go of things that are not in their control by having discussions and modelling this at home.
Monitor their activities to see if they are exposing themselves to stressful situations (social media, discussions with their friends, stressful situations with friends or neighbors). If they are exposed to stressful situations and stories on social media, help them restrict their usage and have regular discussions with them so that if there is anything they have read or seen that is triggering them, they are able to process it and dismiss any misunderstanding.
Create a chart of the activities they are able to do week by week as the lockdown lifts so that they are able to see small steps towards normalcy (what am I able to do this week that I couldn’t do last week – go out for dinner, spend time with a friend, go out for ice cream, attend smalls social events, etc.). Point out small developments so that they see a way forward.
Lastly, contact a therapist to do a check-up if your child is finding it difficult to talk to you or explain to you what is bothering him/her. We have a team of counselors at Meadows of Hope who are here to help you through this confusing and frustrating time.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and remember to take care of yourself, too!
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