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Treating your child’s physical health with regular well-child exams, vaccinations, and sick visits is relatively straightforward. Mental health concerns, however, can be a bit more challenging for parents and caregivers to navigate.
About 10% of children ages three to 17 have been diagnosed with some type of anxiety disorder — including social anxiety. If your child is one of them, seeking treatment and helping them learn to manage this issue are critical for their well-being and emotional growth.
At Angel Kids Pediatrics, our pediatric experts provide medical and behavioral health care services to help children of all ages maintain optimal physical, mental, and emotional health.
With 10 offices located throughout Jacksonville, Amelia Island, and Saint Johns, Florida, our caring and compassionate practitioners are convenient and easily accessible to meet all your family’s needs.
Social anxiety explained
May may be Mental Health Awareness month, but for children and families dealing with social anxiety, the challenges of living with this common issue are present year-round.
Social anxiety can manifest a little differently from one child to another, but generally includes a significant and ongoing fear of social situations and/or times they may be in the spotlight. This can include school parties, public speaking, competing or performing in front of others, and more.
A child or teen will often feel self-conscious and worried that they might do something embarrassing. This leads to a sense of distress and wanting to avoid situations they may find uncomfortable.
While social anxiety is more common in adolescents, it can begin as early as elementary school and affects boys and girls in equal numbers. For some kids, social anxiety emerges after an embarrassing or stressful situation; for others, it starts slowly and often for no specific reason, then gradually worsens over time.
How parents can help with social anxiety
Social anxiety can cause a variety of problems like poor performance in school, avoiding social situations, and having trouble making or keeping friends. In adolescence, it’s often associated with depression and alcohol or drug use.
Fortunately, there are many things parents can do to help. We recommend that you:
Understand your child’s anxiety
Talk to your child if they’re old enough to articulate their feelings about what makes them feel anxious, and what they fear might happen. If they’re too young, you can try to observe their behavior in different situations, then use the information you gather to see if there are patterns or specific reasons for their social distress.
Prepare and practice
If a situation is coming up that you know will likely distress your child, help prepare them in advance. Act out the event or practice things they could say. Also, if you’ve felt anxious in similar situations, share your own fears and how you faced them.
This can help them feel like they’re not alone, and can also encourage them to talk openly about what they’re going through.
Challenge their beliefs
If a child can verbalize what they’re afraid of in social situations, challenge why they think it’s true and help them realize there are many other possible — and often positive — outcomes.
Encourage reflection and relaxation
Especially in older children, help them recognize how their thoughts, feelings, and actions interact and encourage them to substitute positive thoughts for negative ones. Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing may be another helpful tactic.
Be supportive… but don’t be a “crutch”
Encourage your child to engage with others and try new activities — and if they successfully do something they’re worried about, be sure to offer plenty of praise to boost their self-esteem. However, you’ll want to avoid becoming an emotional support crutch; resist the urge to speak for your child, and don’t explain away their behavior to others as “shyness.”
Take it slow
Children thrive when they start with small steps before moving up to bigger tasks. To improve social anxiety, you might begin by having your child speak to someone they know, and after that’s successful, then try having them interact with someone they don’t know well — such as a familiar face at the library or grocery store.
However, if your child becomes overwhelmed and anxious, leave the situation and try again another time.
Talk to a professional
If your child is struggling and parental intervention isn’t leading to improvement, talk to our team about available resources and what type of interventions or treatment might help.
Pediatric mental health experts
If your child is suffering from social anxiety, expert care could be an important step in getting it under control — and helping them enjoy a less stressful, more successful childhood.
We’re here to help. Call or click online to schedule an appointment at your nearest Angel Kids Pediatrics office in Jacksonville, Amelia Island, or Saint Johns, Florida, today.