Physical Signs of Anxiety: How to Help Your Anxious Kids
Anxiety counselors in St. Louis, MO for kids, teens, and young adults.
When you have anxiety, you often experience physical symptoms that acompany the emotional turmoil. Stomachaches, headaches, nausea, tiredness - all are common and expected when it comes to anxiety.
Children can also experience physical symptoms of anxiety - so as a parent, you want to be sure you know the signs and you can identify the root cause.
So often, kids complain that their stomach is hurting or their tummy feels yucky, and you’re worried that they might be coming down with something. Kids often don’t have the language to identify what emotions are going on - they just know they don’t feel well.
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Signs of anxiety in kids that child therapists are looking for:
If your child is experiencing anxiety, it could very well be the root cause of those physical symptoms they’re complaining about.
Anxiety symptoms:
In terms of those anxiety symptoms that we’re assessing as child therapists, we’re looking for at least one of the following, that wouldn’t be explained by something else:
Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
Being easily fatigued
Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
Irritability
Muscle tension
Sleep disturbance
A lot of these symptoms are attributed to anxiety because of that fight/flight/freeze response that’s going on. Your brain and body are reacting to a perceived threat, so your nervous system starts pumping out stress hormones to prime your body to fight, run away, or freeze and play dead. Great reactions when there’s a bear! Not so great when it’s bed time and you don’t want mama to leave the room.
That adrenaline that starts to pump through your body when you’re anxious tightens your muscles, speeds your breathing, dilates your pupils, and gets you ready to react - and quickly.
When the adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol start pumping, you’re ready to fight, run away, or freeze. But the long term impact of these stress hormones also leaves you feeling a little sick.
Your heart rate is pounding, so you feel really drained and tired after the anxiety-inducing event.
The hormones that prime your muscles for a quick response also make your stomach feel a little sick, like you want to throw up.
Your head hurts because of these big flow and drop off of stress.
And the physical symptom list can go on and on.
So what’s a parent to do?
If your kid has physical symptoms, and you’re worried that they’re due to anxiety, you actually have some concrete steps you can take today.
Read more: The Three-Step Approach to Anxiety and Anger Management
First: Identify and Empathize
You need to help your child recognize what emotions are being paired with their physical reactions. Are they truly sick, or are they feeling nervous, stressed, or anxious about a situation that’s going on. Whatever they feel, it’s okay - even if it seems totally irrational! We never want to label our feelings as bad or unhelpful. They’re just feelings! and we can do something about them.
Second: Calm Down
The next step is to help your child calm down in the moment. Practice some deep heart and belly breaths, go on a nature walk, listen to calming music (or check out our manyyy relaxation walkthroughs). Calming down the body is key to helping release the stress, and relieving those physical symptoms of anxiety.
Third: Game Plan
Once you’re calm, you can strategize. Ask your child what you can do to help going forward. Is there an anxiety inducing event coming up? How can you make it feel less scary? Is it bed time? Would one more story help tonight and then you both need to sleep? Can you do some more deep breathing together? Can you get a drink of water?
Big picture, what needs to change so that this doesn’t keep happening going forward? Maybe your child needs to attend a yoga class, end every school day with a guided meditation - or maybe you need to take your child in for counseling with an anxiety specialist.
Our child therapists in St. Louis specialize in anxiety, anger management, and trauma therapy for kids from age 4 up through college. Learn more about our staff right here.
The physical toll of anxiety can feel really heartbreaking, especially when your child doesn’t know why they feel what they feel. But there is help available.
Learning stress management and CBT strategies with a therapist has a big impact on lessening the symptoms of anxiety. Through a collaborative approach, you can learn strategies to help your child get through those anxious moments and end up thriving.
We promise - you’re not alone. And extra help is just around the corner.
Curious to hear more? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As child anxiety therapists, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families throughout Creve Couer, Ballwin, Town and Country, Brentwood, and Ladue. You can set up your first free consult on this very website, on our consultation page.
