Symptoms of anxiety are not always obvious, especially in children. This could mean that many children with anxiety – for example, the 25% of teens ages 13 to 18 who experience anxiety every year – may go untreated and have more anxiety problems as adults.
11 phrases kids could use to tell you “I’m anxious”
In many ways, anxiety has similar effects on both adults and children: Anyone with anxiety can feel nervous, moody, shy, or tired, or suffer from anxiety-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, unlike adults, children may not know how to communicate their anxiety correctly and adults may think that it is just one more quirk to manipulate.
It will not always be this way, and parents must learn to differentiate when it is a normal uncomfortable moment that we all tend to go through from children, to a state of real anxiety that carries something deeper behind that, if explored and cured, could be the difference between an anxious adult and one who was able to release that anxiety with the help of his parents even as a child.
So, without further ado, here are some phrasing ways kids could be telling their parents about the anxiety they’re experiencing. If your children have used 2, 3, or more repeated phrases, it may be a good idea to start talking to them about anxiety and how to treat it, as told by concerned parents and people with childhood experiences of anxiety in a psychological study that involved adults and that below we will see what they responded.
1. “What’s wrong with me?”
If your child begins to express his doubts too often, it is best to keep his eyes peeled for other signs of anxiety.
“I didn’t realize I had anxiety and neither did my parents. They just thought I was being dramatic when I broke down in tears and said, ‘What’s wrong with me?’
2. “I’m tired”
Perhaps your child is constantly exhausted due to reflections related to anxiety.
“When I was a child, I suffered from sleep disorders for a long time,” another person from the study told him. “The whole process of going to school, getting through the day, trying not to be bullied, and going home was always mentally rehearsed the night before.”
3. “I have a headache” or “Don’t make me …”
Although few children love going to school, your child’s refusal to go to school could still be indicative of something deeper than dislike for a few classes.
“I used the excuse of feeling sick many times to avoid going to school,” commented one of the study participants. “I didn’t realize I had anxiety at the time, but it all makes sense when I look back now. I wasn’t being so ‘lazy’ back then. ”
4. “I’m sorry”
Knowing when to apologize is a good thing. Apologizing too often is not.
“I was constantly apologizing for things that weren’t really a problem, or I just didn’t interact,” another participant said of her intrusive doubts. “I still have a problem with constantly saying I’m sorry for something that is not a problem and for being very quiet in difficult situations.”
5. “Can’t we stay home?”
Does your child prefer to stay in quiet and familiar environments instead of new experiences, even fun and exciting?
“I hated going out to places because the noise bothered me. Now as an adult, I try to balance things, but it’s still a challenge, “admitted one participant.
6. “You do it” or “I don’t want to!”
If your child actively avoids even the slightest social interactions, he could be suffering from severe social anxiety.
One participant recalled: “It was so difficult for me to order food that I could tell whoever it was what I wanted and ask them to order.
7. “Is it time to go?” or “I want to go home”
While the holidays can be uncomfortable for anyone when they go on too long, they can be especially concerning for children with anxiety.
“I always said this because crowds of even more than two people would trigger my anxiety,” confessed another commenter. “I couldn’t wait until these events or performances were over.”
8. “Don’t leave me”
If your child never wants to leave your side, even for a short time, he / she may be showing separation anxiety.
“I was very eager to be abandoned as a child,” said another commenter. “I thought people would abandon me if I wasn’t good enough, and it would be my fault.”
9. “Can you turn on the hall light for me at night?”
It is one thing to be afraid of the dark, and quite another to be overwhelmed by nightmarish thoughts about it.
“I lived in fear for a few years that someone would enter my room and kidnap me,” explained one user. “The light didn’t help. I’d stay in bed for two hours just waiting. I still don’t sleep well.
10. “My body is uncomfortable”
Your child may be combining physical and mental health.
“He used to say, ‘My body is uncomfortable, my body is uncomfortable!’ I didn’t know what it was at the time. Years later, I finally found out! Exclaimed another user.
11. “I don’t feel good”
Sometimes a complaint about body aches could be just that.
“Or more specifically, ‘My stomach hurts.’ Even now, my instincts and my feelings are still very connected, ”added one study participant.