Therapist's Video Goes Viral As She Highlights 15 Subtle Ways Children Express Anxiety That Parents Often Overlook

Research indicates that children's anxiety and sadness are on the rise, thus this is cause for concern

Maryjane

• Published in Interesting
• December 3, 2022

Living with anxiety is a lifelong battle that requires focused attention to control and even defeat. While millions of adults understand what it's like to have this constant and unwanted companion following their every decision, it usually returns to where it all began, and that is childhood.

An alarming number of children are suffering from anxiety, but many are unable to receive treatment due to a variety of factors. One of them is that parents frequently miss warning signs that can appear in a variety of different and subtle ways.

Melissa Griffing, known on TikTok as @momtherapist, has recently taken on the challenge of teaching people how to spot anxiety in children and explain what a heavy burden it can be. In a recent video that has received more than a million views on the platform, the 33-year-old child therapist and mother of three discusses the subtle ways children express worry or anxiety.

Melissa guides parents on how to recognise these signals, how to catch them, and how to help children understand what they're going through, from "my tummy hurts" to "nobody likes me." So keep scrolling to learn more about it, and continue reading to find out the discussion it sparked on the platform.

Melissa Griffing, LPC, RPT, gained popularity on TikTok after posting 15 subtly expressive forms of anxiety in children that parents frequently miss

A growing number of kids are living with anxiety, but several factors keep many from receiving treatment

Parents frequently fail to recognize anxiety in children because it can present itself differently in children than it does in adults, despite the fact that it is one of the most common mental health issues in children and adolescents. Research indicates that children's anxiety and sadness are on the rise, thus this is cause for concern.

Kids talk about anxiety

And here are ways they do

Numbers 1-3

Numbers 4-6

Numbers 7-9

Numbers 10-12

Numbers 13-15

The therapist with her family

So that the little ones don't feel overlooked, ignored, or alone, it's crucial to have conversations about mental health and what disorders like anxiety can look like in children.

The entire video, which has received more than a million views, is available for you to watch below

In a subsequent video, Melissa shared advice on how to assist children in overcoming anxiety

In a different video, she suggested that reading books about worry can improve children's ability to identify it

She concluded by offering guidance on how to assist kids who worry too much all the time and about everything

Melissa told BuzzFeed in an interview saying:

“Kids often don’t understand that they are feeling anxious or worried. Instead, it comes out as symptoms… ‘My tummy hurts’; ‘My head hurts’; ‘I don’t want to go’; ‘I don’t feel like it.’ These are all ways to avoid the thing that is making them feel anxious and all phrases I have heard repeatedly from kids or parents describing the issues they are experiencing with their kids.”

Melissa's observations were praised by viewers, who also shared their own stories in the comments section

My tummy hurts

When this user was a kid

This user's son uses most of the statements

What this commenter's baby says

Oh my

In a span of a day

The biggest overlooked one

I'm not hungry

The anxiety realization

My stomach hurts

How do I help?

This commenter said these a lot

There is a lot of people

Having a much easier time

Woah

They're hurting her

This Redditor is already in tears

My baby every day

My legs hurt

Anxiety can be discomforting, especially for a child in his or her formative years, but with proper identification or diagnosis, this condition can easily be put under control. And most importantly, these children will go about their lives normally.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below.

Maryjane