Knowing whether or not your child has anxiety can become quite worrisome. They may be showing outward signs that they’re anxious but you’re still not sure if they have anxiety. Today I’m going to share a few signs of anxiety in a child. I am not a doctor but I do have 2 children that suffer from anxiety and these are the signs I saw in them. Knowing these signs will help you look for some signs in your child to figure out if they possibly have an anxiety.

Excessive Worrying

A child may show signs of excessive worrying when they have anxiety. Things like a typical school day or a change in schedule may throw your anxious child into a spiral of emotion. Depending on the age of your child, they’ll express this excessive worrying in different ways. A younger child may have a crying fit or tantrum. A older child may withdraw into silence or have unexplained bouts of crying. There are many ways a child may express they are worried. If worrying is more excessive than an average concern then your child may have anxiety.

Difficulty Sleeping

A child may show signs of dark circles under their eyes or wake up frequently in the middle of the night. Having an extremely difficult time getting into a deep pattern of sleep one of the signs of anxiety. You can take this time to talk to your child so that you’re able to find out what’s keeping them awake at night. If your child seems to be dealing with lack of deep sleep due to an overactive mind, they may have anxiety.

Frequent Stomach Aches

Anxiety can cause your child’s stomach to hurt on a regular basis. Their excessive worrying and difficulty sleeping can lead to gut troubles. Since our brain is connected to the rest of our body, it’s not far fetched to have a child who suffers from anxiety exhibiting major stomach pains and illness of the gut. This can get dangerous if gone unnoticed, and could be one of the signs of anxiety in a child.

Unexplained Aches and Pains

Anxiety can cause your child to have unexplained aches and pains. Their excessive worry about things can lead to physical issues. Our brain sends pain triggers and when it is overwhelmed it can display by unexplained pain. Unless your child is active or very clumsy unexplained aches and pains may be a sign of anxiety.

Irritability

Chances are that if your child is showing any of the above signs  then they’re going to be more irritable than normal. Many children get irritable at a younger age when they are overtired due to no nap during the day. Irritability without any other major cause aside from possibly the symptoms I shared above may be a sign that your child has anxiety.

Having anxiety is more common than most people realize. The good news is that you can help your anxious child. If you watch for these signs in your child and discuss your concerns with their doctor earlier on in life, you have a higher chance at helping them learn how to live a fulfilling life with anxiety.