Source: (Psych Central)
Author: Tara Bates-Duford

Stress and anxiety is a normal part of life for many people, including children. Children, like adults can struggle with intense feelings of frustration and anxiety leading to challenges in cognition, academic performance, managing emotions, building resiliency, etc. Anxiety in can children diminishes their intellectual, emotional and social development, as well as physical health. Increased stress and anxious behavior in children can be associated with parent’s divorce, abuse, biological sensitivity, personality, stress in school, self or parent inflicted pressure, death of a loved one, significant/abrupt familial changes, rigid schedule, etc.

Anxious feelings do not exist in a vacuum, anyone can experience stressful and anxious feelings, even children who are often overlooked. As with adults, children respond differently to stress depending on their age, individual personalities, and coping skills. When it comes to anxiety in children, very young children may not be able to fully explain or understand their feelings, whereas older kids may be able to express what they are feeling and why they are feeling it. Children struggling with anxiety often struggle with low self-esteem, self-doubt, and difficulty building and establishing social relationships. Children that do not develop the skills to appropriately manage frustrations and anxiety or develop maladaptive coping skills will experience difficulty with building self-confidence. Children that develop healthy coping skills exhibit a higher rate of self-confidence, increased social and self-control skills, have better management and control of their mood, communicate their needs more effectively, perform better in school than peers struggling with decreased confidence, etc.   Click here for the rest of the story