Supporting Your Child Through Social Anxiety: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

As a parent or primary caregiver, all you want is for your child to be safe, happy, and healthy. You want to provide for them, meet their basic needs, and make sure they have the tools for success.

Despite how hard you try to always be there for them whenever they need you or a helping hand, you can’t possibly have all of the answers in life. You can help get them fixed up after a bad fall. Or answer the questions they may have about life. You can’t fix everything. Some things like social anxiety must be corrected or handled by your child.

Mental health issues are something that parents wish that they could bear the weight of instead of their children. But it isn’t always that easy. Social anxiety is a common mental health issue that a lot of children face in today’s world.

Here are some tips for parents and caregivers on how to support your child through social anxiety.

Educate Yourself and Your Child

Taking the time to learn more about social anxiety can help you and your child better understand what it actually means, as well as the signs or symptoms they may be experiencing. You can be better equipped to have conversations with your child about why anxiety exists and how it’s normal. You can even connect with your child on times that you may have felt anxious throughout your lifetime like before a big presentation at work or before welcoming them into the world. The next time you’re feeling anxious, make sure you admit to yourself and them that you’re nervous about it. Then go off and face your fears and complete that action item, even if it means facing it in front of them, Afterwards, talk to your child about how it went and how you felt.

Practice at Home

You can practice social cues at home with your child. For example, if you have social plans coming up, try to get them prepped and ready. You can prepare them by giving them as much information as you can. Let them know where you’re going to be, who may be present, and some of the events that may take place when you’re at this social gathering. You can also help them feel a little more prepared by helping them pick out their outfit before the event or by role-playing different scenarios so they start to feel more comfortable.

Implement Coping Mechanisms

You can help your child become a little more proactive rather than reactive towards their anxiety by implementing coping mechanisms. Teaching them coping mechanisms can help them have tools at their disposal next time they’re feeling anxious. A lot of their anxiety may be coming from past or future events. These techniques can help keep them grounded and bring them back to the present moment to help them feel more calm and at ease. Here are a few of the different coping mechanisms you can try out together:

• • Body scan
  • Deep breathing
  • Meditation
  • Sensory items – Play-Doh, weighted blanket, etc.
  • Yoga

Seek Additional Support

While social anxiety can be common, if it’s starting to negatively impact your child’s daily life and routine, it may be a good sign to reach out for additional support. Just because your child is struggling with social anxiety now doesn’t mean that they have to continue to live their life impacted by it.

If you’re interested in additional support with your child’s social anxiety, we’re here to help. A mental health professional will be able to work with you and your child to determine what may be causing their social anxiety and set them up with tools to better manage and move forward from the signs and symptoms that are holding them back. Reach out today to set up an initial consultation for child counseling.