Subtle ways parents create anxiety without realizing it

Anxiety isn’t just an adult issue. Clinical research indicates that millions of children struggle with anxiety symptoms, with a recent analysis putting the number as high as 20.5% of youth worldwide.

“Sometimes anxiety can be hard to pinpoint as kids can manifest anxiety in different ways,” said Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins, associate director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital. “This can be due to many factors such as the type of anxiety they’re experiencing, their age, or their language skills”.

While some kids experience physical symptoms like stomachaches, racing heartbeats and headaches, others exhibit emotional responses like increased tantrums or clinginess. Still, others become withdrawn and stop participating in activities or engaging with peers.

Even if you do not intend to create anxiety, some common behaviors and comments from parents can make kids feel anxious.

“We have to remember that our kids are quite attuned to what is going on with us as their caregivers”, Booth Watkins said. “They are both listening to our words and paying close attention to our body language. If we are struggling with anxiety ourselves, we have to be deliberate in managing our stress and distress, and model healthy coping skills and strategies which will be key in you helping your child manage their anxiety”.

Just as you need to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others, you should address your own anxiety struggles to support your children through theirs.

“Anxiety is a normal part of life”, said Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, a clinical psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts. “Everyone needs coping strategies for it. One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to help your child learn the unique toolkit of skills that helps them deal with anxiety”.

(Avalaible in: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/parents-kids-anxiety-subtle

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