Anxiety
What is it?
Anxiety is the mind and body's reaction to stressful, dangerous, or unfamiliar situations. It's the sense of uneasiness, distress, or dread you feel before a significant event. A certain level of Anxiety helps us stay alert and aware, but occasionally it can become over powering.
What does it look like?
Signs of anxiety may present differently in children and adolescents than in adults. Common signs can include:
When does Anxiety become a problem?
Everyone experiences anxiety sometimes.
Anxiety becomes a problem when:
Anxiety goes off when there is no real danger (e.g., like a smoke alarm that goes off when you’re just making toast.)
Anxiety happens a lot.
Anxiety feels pretty intense.
Anxiety stops you from doing fun and important things that you want to do (e.g., like going to school dances or parties, making friends, getting your homework done, or getting a job)
Activities that may help
Read a book
Reading a book is not only a great activity that can be relaxing, but the right story can also create a teachable moment for your kid.
For more books click here:
Ruby Finds A Worry: Here is a great story that normalizes the idea of having worries and emphasizes the importance of talking about those worries to make them feel more manageable.