What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the word used to describe the way we feel and think when we are frightened, worried or stressed. It is something we all experience at times in our lives. Anxiety at the right levels can motivate us to deal with difficult challenges (like performing on stage, doing an exam) or keep us safe from danger (like avoiding a fast car coming towards us). Feeling anxious produces a hormone called adrenaline which, if we are in danger, helps us to respond by getting our body ready to face the danger. This is called our ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response.
But there is another side to anxiety. Adrenaline leads to physical responses such as a dry mouth, a pounding heart, butterflies in the tummy, sweating, dizziness and tense muscles. It also stops the ‘thinking’ part of our brain, our cerebral cortex, from working as well as it usually does. This means we don’t necessarily think logically about whatever it is we are feeling scared of. We can be ready to ‘fight, flight or freeze’ at something which is not actually dangerous.
Children and young people can feel anxious about different things at different ages, and this is a normal part of growing up. They may worry about anything in their lives at any point in time, for example, starting primary school, overhearing arguing at home, falling out with friends or moving to a new class and new teacher. Most often they can be easily reassured that the situation will be okay, and the anxiety goes away.
However, anxiety can become a problem when it impacts on a child or young person's day-to-day life. The feelings can last longer, and feel stronger, than just an everyday worry, and it is harder to reassure the child or young person. Anxiety can also lead to other difficulties or behaviours such as poor concentration, disrupted sleep, and trying to avoid situations.
It can be helpful for children to learn about anxiety; how it feels in their body, and what they can do help themselves if they feel that way. Learning these things within a group situation can help children realise that they are not alone in feeling anxious, that it’s a normal emotion, and that there are things they can do to help themselves.
Extra information and support for parents can be found at Anxiety | HandsOn (handsonscotland.co.uk)
At Dunnikier Primary School we understand that some pupils may experience worry or nervousness for a variety of reasons. We always ensure we take the time to talk to children about anything they may feel anxious about and make sure they know who they can speak to in school if they are experiencing these feelings. We run a range of activities in school to meet the evolving needs of our children. For example, Normalising Anxiety groups, which teach children what feelings they may experience and give them a range of strategies to help them cope. Yoga groups can help children notice their emotions and teach them to focus on their breathing which in turn reduces stress hormones and allows them to feel calmer. The Incredible Five Point Scales we use in school can help pupils by clearly showing what helps them when they feel challenging emotions such as anxiety or anger, so they can easily access these strategies.