How to support a child who struggles with anxiety

Has anxiety been running your household, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic?

Parenting expert Michelle McVittie joined Annette Hamm on Morning Live to share ways you can deal with it compassionately and effectively.

How to Identify Anxiety in Children

While most people occasionally experience anxiety from time to time, McVittie said it becomes a problem when it interferes with completing everyday tasks.

This may include declining social skills, not participating in extracurricular activities or not wanting to go to school.

“You’ve got a child who may be struggling with sleeping or eating, they are ruminating over and over again asking you the same things, they are regressing in behaviour and wanting to stay home with you when they’re like 10 or 13 instead of wanting to go out with their friends,” she said in an interview Wednesday.

McVittie also noted most children will not admit that they have anxiety. Instead, they may express it through an upset stomach, negative self-talk or a meltdown.

How to Help a Child with Anxiety

The first way to support a child who is struggling with anxiety is to acknowledge what they are feeling.

“Don’t minimize their experience or allow them to avoid it,” she said. “Avoidance is self-reinforcing, but it’s a bandaid solution for a long-term problem.”

Another strategy is to label the feeling, McVittie said.

For example, you can call their anxiety “Mr. Worry” or the “Worry Bully.”

“Teach them feelings words so they can label their own feelings,” she said. “Eventually, with practice, they’ll be able to calm themselves down.

McVittie also recommended creating a quiet space they can retreat to when they’re feeling anxious.