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Sign Up for EmailsAnxiety Resources: Helping Kids with Anxious Feelings or Anxiety Disorders
Feeling anxious is common – it’s our body’s way of alerting us to danger.
For some people, including children, the alarm system goes off even when there isn’t danger. You can help kids learn to tell if there’s real danger or if it’s a “false alarm.” Helping them move forward if their anxious feelings are sending a false alarm is a key skill that children can develop.
Everyday feelings of anxiety can become an anxiety disorder when it stops children from doing the things they want and need to do.
Learn more about anxiety, signs to watch out for and how you can help the kids in your life manage their feelings of anxiety.
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6 Ways to Help Kids Who Are Feeling Anxious
How do you help a child with anxious feelings? The goal isn’t to get rid of their feelings but to help them move forward in spite of their worries.
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Anxiety in Children: What Is “Normal”?
- Feelings of anxiety and normal and does not mean a child has an anxiety disorder. Feeling anxious is a natural alarm system that alerts us to danger.
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- Anxiety changes as kids develop, from "stranger danger" in young children to concerns about real-world dangers in school-aged children and social belonging in tweens and teens.
- There are warning signs of anxiety and anxiety disorders, including worrying about future events, avoiding activities, trouble sleeping or needing lots of reassurance.
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