Understanding Anxiety in Children: Signs, Causes and Solutions

Seeing your child struggle with anxiety can leave you feeling helpless, worried, and unsure of where to turn. Whether you are noticing sudden emotional outbursts, physical symptoms like stomach aches, or a quiet withdrawal from activities they used to love, understanding the root causes of childhood anxiety is the first step toward helping them heal. In this post, we’ll explore the signs and causes of anxiety in children, and how you can support them.

At Navigate Your Mind’ Chartered Psychologists, we help children and young people move past these worries to build lasting confidence and resilience. Through our tailored 12-week programmes - starting with a comprehensive 90-minute initial assessment - we work alongside your family to tackle every challenge step-by-step.

Why is my Child Experiencing Anxiety at such a Young Age?

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges experienced by children and young people. While occasional worry is a normal part of development, persistent anxiety can affect a child's wellbeing, relationships and ability to engage in everyday activities.

Understanding the signs, causes and available support can help adults recognise when a

child may be struggling and ensure they receive the appropriate help. Symptoms of childhood anxiety can be classed into three separate categories;

1. Behavioural

2. Emotional

3. Cognitive

   
   

We will now explore each of these in further detail to expand on your understanding on the next steps.

Is Your Child Showing any of these Behavioural Signs of Anxiety?

1) Behavioural symptoms of anxiety refer to how the child acts, their habits or coping

mechanisms they adopt in response to the feeling of anxiety. Behavioural symptoms

of anxiety include:

• Avoidance of people, places and objects

• Excessive reassurance-seeking

• Compulsive actions (performing repetitive tasks)

• Withdrawal difficulty completing tasks (procrastinating or abandoning tasks)

• Freezing - temporarily stunned, immobilisation

Emotional Signs of Anxiety

2) Emotional symptoms of anxiety refer to the ‘internal’, ‘psychological’ and subjective

feelings of distress (how a person feels when experiencing anxiety). Emotional

symptoms of anxiety include:

• Feelings of intense fear

• Intrusive/racing thoughts

• Feeling irritable and constant dread

  
  

Cognitive Signs of Anxiety

3) Cognitive symptoms of anxiety refer to the mental processes and thought patterns a

child has in an anxious state. Cognitive symptoms of anxiety include:

• Difficulty concentrating

• Indecisiveness

• Hyper-vigilance (tendency to perceive harmless situations as threatening)

• Impaired working memory (experiencing forgetfulness due to brain monitoring

  potential threats rather than holding immediate information)

What Happens to my Child’s Brain During Anxiety?

In children, a 'danger alarm' called the amygdala often develops faster than the brain systems responsible for emotional regulation, meaning that they feel fear before they have the skills to handle it. This process can be broken down:

1. Threat detection: sensory information (sudden noise/stressful memory) travels to

   the amygdala

2. Immediate alarm: if the amygdala detects a potential threat, nerve signals are sent

   to the hypothalamus (maintains homeostasis, a stable, balanced internal state by

   regulating hormones)

3. Chemical surge: the adrenal glands (responsible for producing hormones that regulate your metabolism, blood pressure, immune system, and your body's 'fight or flight' response to stress) are activated, flooding the body with stress hormones (e.g

   adrenaline and cortisol) which cause physical symptoms of anxiety such as a racing

   heart.

4. Brain overdrive: if the amygdala strongly activates it can trigger an “amygdala hijack” which temporarily shuts down the prefrontal cortex, making it difficult to use logic and calm down

Therapeutic Art classes are a big help to children who struggle with anxiety

What are the different Treatments for Anxiety?

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): CBT is more commonly referred to as the most effective form of psychological treatment as it focuses on identifying negative thoughts and building coping mechanisms.

• Applied relaxation therapy: Teaches the child how to physically relax their muscles in situations that normally trigger symptoms.

• Therapeutic Art: Therapeutic art can significantly reduce anxiety; by focusing on

  creative activities, it provides a healthy distraction from negative thoughts, may lower stress levels, and allows children to express emotions that they may struggle

  to communicate verbally.

• Systematic desensitisation: A gradual process where children learn to replace their

  anxiety with relaxation techniques, an “anxiety-hierarchy” is created (a ranked list of

  anxiety inducing situations from least to most severe). They are then exposed to the

  lowest stress scenario whilst practicing deep breathing/muscle relaxation only to

  move up the list when comfortable which allows the child to stay in control, minimising trauma

CONCLUSION

Anxiety in children can affect how they think, feel and behave, often showing itself through emotional distress, physical symptoms and changes in behaviour. Understanding the signs of anxiety and recognising the role of the brain's threat-response system can help parents, carers and educators respond with greater empathy and support. While anxiety can be challenging, effective treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), applied relaxation techniques, therapeutic art and systematic desensitisation can help children develop healthy coping strategies and build resilience. With early intervention, patience and the right support, children can learn to manage their anxiety, gain confidence and thrive in their everyday lives.

Navigate Your Mind - Chartered Psychologist Yeșim Guner

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‘Navigate Your Mind’ are Chartered Psychologists who specialise in and provide Mental

Health Support Services for all ages. We will advocate with other professionals on your

behalf, to ensure that you only have to share your story once.

If you are interested in any of our services or to book an assessment - please use the online form to send us a message or text +44 (0) 7921 610 251​ / email: info@navigateyourmind.co.uk

Blog researched and written by: Mehmet Kinay, A Level student, hoping to pursue a degree in BSc Psychology