Therapist shares 15 ways children communicate that they have anxiety and parents are beyond thankful

Like many of us, kids too experience extreme emotions. It can be anger, tension or even anxiety but unlike adults, they are rarely able to express it properly. Because of this, parents find it hard to decipher what's going on in their child's mind. Based on years of evidence, as per NHS, it is crucial that the anxiety present in children is addressed and handled carefully. But before this comes the task to identify if the kid is anxious or not. This viral TikTok video is helping parents by pointing out 15 different ways in which children showcase that they are anxious about something.

It is a "cheat sheet for deciphering" kids' talk on anxiety. The first method talked about by therapist @momtherapist is something quite common in households - "My tummy hurts." The next one is "I don't want to go to school" followed by "I am hungry." She then addressed serious talks like "I hate you" and "What if." Though these phrases might be hard and complex for parents to hear and understand, they are necessary to analyze for the safety of children. These words can be interpreted as a call for help in a situation where they feel uncomfortable. Phrases like "my arms hurt", "I don't like it", "I can't sleep", and "my legs hurt" can be taken as physical symptoms of the anxiety children might be feeling within themselves.

The phrases "I just want to stay with you" and "Nobody wants to talk to me at school" can be viewed as the emotional consequences of anxiety within children. @momtherapist asks parents to be on alert about these phrases as they could be a call for help. On her account, Griffing also posted a follow-up video in regard to childhood anxiety. In one of those videos, she pointed out that "the first step in helping your kids to manage their anxiety is to help them understand what they’re feeling when they’re feeling it - which means you have to recognize that they’re anxious.”

As per parents, the examples shared by Griffing are something they hear from their kids every day. Therefore, it gets a bit difficult for them to take the sayings seriously. But this video is a striking reminder that such statements require sympathy and understanding. They could be a way for parents to understand that their children are not in the right state of mind and need help.

The comments section seemed to have garnered a new perspective regarding the whole situation. @briann.1992 wanted to know more and commented, "Can we talk about 'my legs hurt'? My kiddo says that all the time and my brain isn’t connecting that to anxiety. How is anxiety = leg pain?" @skidabopp wrote, "My daughter has said every single one of these. Especially the sick thing". @mistakenjas shared her own experience and commented, "Can you expand more on the legs hurting? My hurt so much as a kid, I had a lot of anxiety. Would cry myself to sleep because of my anxiety or pain."