A rather recent focus in the medical field has been on the matter of childhood anxiety. Having been largely ignored in the past, it seems that the Surgeon General's Conference, in 2000, has indicated that there is the possibility that as many as 10% of children suffer from some form of childhood anxiety, and that they need some treatment (psychological) for it.

Every one of us who reads this can remember some of the fears we had when we were younger. Many of those situations produced a great deal of concern. Perhaps, we became so focused on the problem that it brought on some physical illness. We may have had headaches, or stomachaches, or problems with sleeping, maybe changes in our eating habits, or, maybe even a recurrence of bedwetting. These are the rather common symptoms. If we do remember some of those times, we probably laugh now - but that little child is not laughing, and may need your help. To them, the problem is very big - and possibly getting bigger every day. This isn't all of it, however.

Childhood anxiety can also bring on various emotional disturbances, too. Among them we would include:

Obvious worry (about things like new situations, things possibly happening to their parents, making sure the doors are locked at night, etc.)
Clinginess - especially in strange places, or around new people.
Crying
Anger
Aggressive behavior (where they may not have been aggressive before)
Whininess
Possibly regressing in maturity to a younger way of doing things.

Stress is a common part of life - we all have our share. Every one of us has had some stress to deal with in our lives (and more will come). For most of us, childhood anxiety proved not to be a dead-end wall, but rather, it served (as it should) as a tool that built into us some character and stamina, and some ability to cope. We see it now for what it was - as either something before which we had already been defeated, or, merely an opportunity for us to overcome and grow by it. It may also be that someone who is at that point now, may need a little help in perceiving the difficulties they face, in such a light.

If looked at properly, stress can be helpful. Instead of running from it, the young person with childhood anxiety should learn to allow it to provide motivation for learning to cope with life in general. Parents sometimes want to shield their children from everything negative. But such shielding can often be more harmful than good. The oak trees are built to withstand the storms - not by staying out of storms, but rather the storms themselves become the very source of the oak trees power to stand against it.

Parents are the greatest help that this child can have. It is partly their reaction to the child's "problem" that often determines how a child responds. If the parents react in a calm, understanding, and positive manner, the young person can learn that others are willing to help them through seeming difficulties. But if he or she is met with harshness, criticism, and uncaring attitudes, then these childhood anxieties may only be suppressed temporarily - but not necessarily overcome. They may also come to expect the same hurtful reactions from others - if those fears are discovered.

Here are a couple of things that parents may do to help their child (or someone else's child) if they seem to be temporarily stifled by their childhood anxieties:

Spend time with them - and be calm and open with them, and enjoy the time (this leads to their enjoyment with you and increases trust)
Allow and encourage them to talk - even to express their concerns, fears, as well as their joys. Do not be critical of what they say - but you may need to guide the conversation.
Build self-confidence by doing things with them that will teach them that they can do more than they expected
Help them to see that most things that we worry about never happen (about 70%, and more)
Enable them to have some say in decision-making about themselves. It will give them confidence in feeling that they have some control over their circumstances.
Help them set realistic expectations. A lack here will bring stress, not only in themselves, but also with others, too.

Finally, there are some things that the child might do to help themselves when faced with childhood anxieties. Parents should teach these things to the child, so that they can learn to deal with it, to some degree on their own.

Encourage them to do some of the following things when they feel the pressure of childhood anxieties:

Talk about the things that cause stress with their parents, or another adult who cares. Sharing a problem is often more than half the battle with stress. We adults know what it means sometimes just to have a listening ear.
Do things that cause a deliberate mental distraction - so that there is no longer a strong focus on the problem. They can read a book, draw, do a hobby, talk to a friend, or, watch some TV (be careful with this one, as many on this media, solve their problems in a wrong way!)
Get in some exercise - this greatly reduces stress and tension. They can ride a bike, walk the dog, play with a friend, etc.

Our journeys are always made more delightsome when accompanied by a friend.

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