Ever feel a thumping in your chest, an inexplicable sense of doom, or even a feeling of unease that sees you rooted where you are and unable to do anything at all?
Or maybe you’ve experienced sweaty palms, racing thoughts, and a knot in your stomach that won’t go away.
These are among the sensations that people with anxiety experience, but they may manifest differently depending on the individual and anxiety can be triggered by a whole host of different things.
In children, the symptoms of anxiety may also present in other ways. So let’s look at what anxiety can feel like, and how to help your child work through the feeling.
A whole lot of unease
Anxiety is often best described as a sense of general unease and nervousness. It’s a feeling something bad is happening or might be about to occur, although often you’re not sure why that’s the case.
Another way to describe it is like having a persistent worry or fear and this can then translate to physical symptoms such as:
- Increased heart rate and breathing
- Shaking and sweating
- Muscle tension
- Digestive issues
- Sleep problems
- Fatigue and weakness
- Lowered immune system
The thing about anxiety is that it can be hard to put into words, and it can also contribute to things like irritability, restlessness, and an inability to sleep, which compounds the feelings of anxiety further.
Anxiety in children
Even adults can struggle to articulate the feelings that come with anxiety so it makes sense that children might find it hard to put what they’re experiencing into words.
Instead, the Royal Children’s Hospital notes this feeling of unease and worry might become evident in behaviors such as:
- Excessive worry about everyday situations
- Avoiding everyday situations and social events
- Sudden emotional or angry outbursts and irritability
- Seeking reassurance often
- Trouble concentrating
- Problems with talking at school or in public places
- Overplanning and overthinking
How to manage the fear
In many ways, anxiety feels a lot like fear. It may be fear of something the child has experienced or it could be something they believe will happen, despite there being little likelihood that the event will occur.
Either way, that fear is very, very real, and managing it is about helping the child feel safe, secure and supported while providing them with strategies to navigate their way through that anxious experience.
You can learn more about strategies that children can use to manage anxiety here, but in brief involves:
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Discussing with your child the things that trigger their fear
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Creating a plan for when they feel anxious, such a hugging a toy and focusing on their breathing, and
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Building a healthy routine.
How Kitty & Raffy can help
Kitty & Raffy is an Australian brand that’s all about enhancing children's emotional wellbeing. Our flagship product, "Comfort Me Raffy," is a safety-certified emotional support toy designed to help kids manage anxiety.
You can view our full range of products here.
