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There are many types of anxiety that children can suffer from.
Separation anxiety: When children are worried about being separated from caregivers. These kids can have a hard time at school drop-offs and throughout the day.
Social anxiety: When children are excessively self-conscious, making it difficult for them to participate in class and socialize with peers.
Selective mutism: When children have a hard time speaking in some settings, like at school around the teacher.
Generalized anxiety: When children worry about a wide variety of everyday things. Kids with generalized anxiety often worry particularly about school performance and can struggle with perfectionism.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder: When children’s minds are filled with unwanted and stressful thoughts. Kids with OCD try to alleviate their anxiety by performing compulsive rituals like counting or washing their hands.
Specific phobias: When children have an excessive and irrational fear of particular things, like being afraid of animals or storms.
So what do you do when your child suffers from one of these forms of anxiety? Sometimes the solution can be simple and easy to address. I remember when I was about 5 to 7 years old and there were some days when I would wake up feeling like I wasn’t well enough to go to school. I would tell my mother that I couldn’t go to school that day because I felt sick. She would respond with sympathy and concern and then advise me to get ready for school and then see how I felt. She knew that if I proceeded with my daily routine, that would take my mind off my worries and I would be fine. It always worked. By the time I got dressed and ate breakfast, I felt ready to go to school. I remember being impressed with how smart she was. When I got older I appreciated how wise she was.