Children of preschool and school age are more prone to anxiety, which sometimes occurs for no apparent reason. Diagnosing it is quite simple thanks to a set of characteristic features, but eliminating fears can be a difficult task. Anxious child reacts poorly to stimuli, communicates poorly. The quality of life of such children is declining.
Why arises?
The main reasons for the anxiety state of a child under the age of 6 are complex relationships with parents. This is especially true for boys. The degree of anxiety in parents significantly affects the similar state of the child. The use of an authoritarian style of upbringing, excessive requirements for the baby or comparing it with others significantly increases anxiety. Often anxiety occurs as a result of neurosis and other mental disorders.
The main causes of this condition include:
- lack of a sense of security in the child;
- repulsion of the baby by adults, their hostility;
- unfavorable family environment;
- poor financial opportunities of the family;
- mismatch of the requirements of the parents with the real capabilities of the child;
- inadequate claims of adults to the baby;
- An overstated indicator of anxiety in parents;
- the presentation by adults of conflicting requirements;
- parents are not able to maintain consistency in raising a child;
- authoritarian education;
- excessive emotionality of parents;
- constant comparison of the child with peers;
- the desire of parents to meet generally accepted standards.
Types and types of anxiety
If changes in behavior are noticed, in particular that the child is anxious, the recommendations of specialists prescribe seeking the advice of a doctor. Treatment will depend on several factors.
There are two types of anxiety:
- Anxiety as a prevailing character. In this case, the features of personal temperament play a role, copying the behavior patterns of unbalanced adults.
- Anxiety is situational. It is usually caused by individual events.
Children with anxiety are divided into several types:
- Neurotics. An increased degree of anxiety in such children leads to somatic disorders, namely to tics, stuttering, uncontrolled urination.
- Disinhibited children. This type of childhood anxiety is expressed in the form of increased activity and excessive emotionality.
- A shy child who is afraid of almost everything.
- Closed children. This type is characterized by coldness, lack of responsiveness, increased alertness of the baby.
How to determine that the child is anxious?
In general, this condition is not a diagnosis. The specialist, most likely, will not prescribe treatment until the situation worsens. However, if no action is taken, the consequences can be dire.
If the parents noticed that the child is anxious, cannot concentrate, needs parental protection, it is advisable to consult a doctor for recommendations.
How to determine that this is not just about situational nervousness, fear, but about a serious problem requiring intervention?
There are several pronounced signs of an anxious child:
- Hysterical behavior when parting with loved ones. At first, it may seem that the baby is painfully reacting exclusively to breaking up with his mother, but this is not so. Anxious child can hardly stand the separation from any person he knows. A pronounced example of such behavior is a visit to a kindergarten in the first stage.
- The child constantly clings to one of the parents and reacts sharply to attempts to separate him. At first glance, this is normal, because this is how children feel protected. But there is a downside. Without bodily contact with a loved one, the baby has a feeling of anxiety.
- Refusal to go to an educational institution. Some parents think that this is because the children simply do not like studying, the staff, or the mode of school or kindergarten. But the cause may be anxiety, which, by the way, greatly inhibits the learning process.
- Sleep disorders, which are expressed by different symptoms. The child has nightmares, he cannot sleep for a long time. In advanced cases, the baby has urinary incontinence. Most often, the reasons lie precisely in the psycho-emotional state, which requires immediate intervention.
- Crying even for little things. In such cases, it is strictly forbidden to call the child a crybaby or other offensive words. The point here is increased anxiety, and threats and humiliations can not be fixed.
- Psychosomatic causes. In some cases, such symptoms are a sign of child anxiety. It can be abdominal pain, lack of air, loss of consciousness and more. They are most pronounced when they are near an object of anxiety.
The severity is determined by the number and intensity of manifestations. If only one of the listed symptoms occasionally appears, there are no serious concerns, and with the support of the family, the child will independently cope with anxiety. If concern is manifested by several symptoms, they are intense and prolonged, specialist intervention is necessary.
What is the danger of this condition in children?
An anxious child may develop the following problems:
- Deterioration in academic performance. It is worth noting that some children, on the contrary, begin to study better, fearing the anger or punishment of their parents.
- Social exclusion. It is expressed by the fact that the child withdraws into himself and ceases to communicate with peers and surrounding people, with the exception of parents. In the future, he may never learn to contact, will not learn basic social skills, will become an outcast.
- Each new person in an environment, a conversation with a stranger causes concern for the child.
- Fear of making a mistake. This is a serious problem, which over time will affect not only the child’s indecision when taking a responsible step, but even the little things. He, most likely, will always get used to retreat in everything, grow up indecisive. If for girls this character trait is excusable, then the young man will face many problems in life.
- Inappropriate behavior. Anxious children, growing up, often become the so-called freaks. Even outgrowing children's fears, they strive in any way to stand out or, conversely, to distance themselves from society.
How is the condition manifested in preschool age?
Constant concern can develop in a child at any stage of his life's journey. Anxious preschool children constitute a large group that needs the mandatory intervention of a specialist in the early stages.
So, in children aged one to three years, nightmares are often observed. At two years old, the child reacts sharply to unexpected sounds, feels the fear of loneliness and pain, for example, reacts violently and continuously to medical workers.
From three to five years old, the fear of darkness, confined space, or loneliness is massively excreted in babies. One of the main causes of panic in children aged five to seven years is the fear of death.
Characterization of an anxious child of primary school age
A child’s body that has not grown stronger and is not tuned to intensive training often does not withstand the load, the baby becomes ill. And the desire to learn completely disappears, while the anxiety from thoughts about the upcoming studies is growing rapidly.
Anxiety in children of primary preschool age is observed in the second month after the start of training. That is why they need a short weekly rest. The development of anxiety feelings among younger schoolchildren often arises due to parents or a teacher. In families with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, children are less restless, in contrast to those where conflicts constantly arise.
According to psychologists, in pre-school and primary school age, boys suffer more from anxiety, girls this is characteristic after 12 years. At the same time, the former are more concerned with punishment and violence, while the latter are worried about relationships with others.
Organization of life of anxious children
For such children compliance with the regime is of great importance. They do not really like hygiene procedures, so it is important that bathing in the bath brings them pleasure. Let it be foam, toys, that is, what they like. With wellness procedures and mastering swimming, it is better to wait. Anxious children do not like to change clothes, so it is better to buy comfortable clothes for them that are easy to take off and put on.
Children with anxiety syndrome are difficult to feed, so there is no need to prepare multicomponent dishes for them, let it be something simple and useful.
An anxious child is difficult to interact in a team, so it is necessary for him to create the conditions under which he can be among the children. No need to force the baby, it should be gently directed.
Sometimes it’s very difficult for parents to find a common language with their child, but if they react sensitively to his feelings and requests, establish a warm relationship, then over time he will begin to change for the better.
Recommendations to parents of anxious children
Experts advise to take into account the following recommendations:
- Do not overstate your child.
- Show your love for the baby as often as possible.
- Praise the child in public.
- Do not pronounce words that degrade children.
- Criticize less.
- Do not make apologize, but ask to explain the reason for the misconduct.
- Spend more time together.
- Hug and hold the baby more often.
- Take an interest in the baby’s life, his opinions and feelings.
- Be unanimous and consistent in raising children.
- Offer help to the child, but do not solve all the problems for him.
- Share your childhood fears and difficult situations.
Increase self-esteem
The work of a psychologist with an anxious child includes three components:
- Improving the self-esteem of the child.
- Developing skills to manage your emotional state.
- Exercises to reduce muscle tone.
It is natural that it is impossible to quickly raise the child’s self-esteem. It is important to carry out appropriate activities daily. Address the baby by name, praise for the smallest achievements in private and in the presence of other children. At the same time, approval should be sincere, since every child feels and painfully reacts to falsehood. It is imperative to say why they encourage him.
Consider the remaining elements in more detail below.
Self-management skills
It is extremely rare for a child to share his feelings and fears, so it is necessary to instill in him self-management skills:
- Compose stories together.
- Discuss exciting situations for the baby.
- Do not compare your child with unauthorized children.
- Do not force to participate in any competitions.
- Be interested in the causes of the child’s restless behavior.
- Establish confidential communication.
Decreased muscle tone
Relaxing exercises are extremely useful for troubled children. The list of recommendations for parents of anxious children includes sessions of massage, yoga, breathing exercises.
A great way to relieve increased anxiety in a child is to paint your face with unnecessary lipsticks or special paints. You can arrange a kind of masquerade or show with changing clothes. To do this, together with the children make masks, costumes and other accessories. Such an impromptu performance will relax the baby and bring a lot of pleasure.
Anxiety Prevention
If parents want the child to grow balanced, first of all it is necessary to create a favorable psychological environment in the family that promotes harmonious personal development. If from an early age a trusting relationship with the baby is established, then the development of anxiety can be avoided.
Corrective work with anxious children, as well as preventive measures, include discussing problems with the child, close communication, spending time together, walking, picnics, and more. Parents and kids are brought together by a relaxed atmosphere, joint creativity, allowing you to relax.
How to play with troubled children?
Starting classes with an anxious child, you must adhere to the following rules:
- A new game is introduced gradually, first explaining its rules. Then they show how other children play it. A child is attracted only if he wants to become a member.
- It is recommended to avoid the competitive component of contests.
- When introducing a new game, it should be remembered that the child should not feel danger from meeting with the unknown. It is advisable to carry out training on already familiar material. You can partially use the rules of a game already well mastered earlier.
- Blindfold classes are introduced only after carefully carried out preparatory work and with the consent of the baby.
Comprehensive correction of behavior, attentive attitude of loved ones, friendly atmosphere in the family - all this will allow us to achieve positive dynamics and raise a child who is confident.