Oh your little man. To get the foundations as strong as you can, try to introduce him to a regular mindfulness practice, exercise, and 8 hours of sleep. You will also find a lot of information here https://www.heysigmund.com/category/with-kids/anxiety-in-kids-and-teens/. You are his strongest way through this. If you are still worried, it might be worth finding him extra support through a child counsellor.

I have an 8 year old son who is always worried… he worries about everything and everyone.. he cried cause I took too long at the store cause he said he thought I got into an accident. He says he always feels like hes in a dream like he cant tell whether hes alive or dreaming or he says sometimes hes like who are these people are they my parents. And it scares him and he gets super anxious. I dont know what to do… I have struggled with anxiety my whole life and his anxiety is so hard on my I feel so terrible

It’s great that you’re trying the breathing exercises. Rather than challenging her worries, try validating them. ‘That sounds scary for you, I understand that.’ Here is an article that explains how that might work https://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-children-metaphor-put-shoes-right-beside/. Encourage her to keep attending training, but let her voice her worries and let her know that you hear them.

I have an 8 year old girl who has always been quiet and having anxiety symptoms but is otherwise happy and coping well in school. Last year, she was selected for her school’s competitive gymnastics team and has 2-3 times of training per week. Her coach is pretty strict and can be rather fierce but she is not abusive.

The past month she has been very anxious about going for trainings to the extent she will be crying and teary in school the entire morning till she goes for gym in the afternoon. When she’s at gym training she is fine and actually seem happy afterwards.

We have tried breathing exercises, challenging her worries etc. But this has been ongoing for the past one month. It’s also causing distress to us parents since it comes round every week. I don’t wish for her to stop the trainings as it would be avoidance. Or should I since otherwise she is happy at school. Or should I just let her cry and continue to manage it. Would it lead to her having depression? Thank you for any advice. It is hard knowing what to do and most people don’t understand what we are going through.

There is a facebook page for SMIRA which is a charity which offers advice to those with Selective Mutism. My son suffered with this.

Stacey it sounds as though your son needs some extra outside support to help him through this and to help him learn ways to manage his anxiety. If you weren’t happy with the psychiatrist, I would encourage you to try a different counsellor or therapist until you find one you feel comfortable working with. Counselling is like all other professions – not all counsellors or therapists are going to feel right for all people. It doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong with the particular counsellor, just that the combination as client/therapist isn’t quite right. Keep going until you find someone that feels right for your son

Caroline your daughter has had a big scare and her response is understandable. This article will explain how her anxiety around this has developed, and why her response is so strong, as well as some strategies to try https://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-in-kids-and-teens-avoidance-brave-behaviour/ .
Also try the stepladder strategy in this article https://www.heysigmund.com/phobias-and-fears-in-children/. As the article explains, the most important thing is getting her on board with the plan, as well as ensuring that the steps you both develop are very gentle and gradual https://www.heysigmund.com/phobias-and-fears-in-children/. She will be able to get through this, but let her take the time she needs getting there.