A child can start to feel anxious for all sorts of reasons. It could have been triggered by a major life event such as a change of school, loss of a loved one or pet etc. It could also be from ongoing strain, such as parental arguments, bullying, exams, expectation etc.

Whatever the reason may have been, anxiety can start to grow and gradually seep out into other behaviours, beliefs or fears. You may find your child starts to get an issue around food (control of their environment), or has problems sleeping (anxiety increases adrenal responses making it harder to relax), stops wanting to go to school (avoidance) or has a meltdown or crying fit (unable to control their emotions, the environment, the situation anymore). As the focus is then on these issues, it can be easy to forget what was happening before or why they might have started.

As a homeopath that specialises in anxiety, I work with you and your child as detectives to identify what started the anxiety (if it isn’t clear) and understand what ‘stuck’ feelings (grief, sadness, anger, fear) or beliefs your child may now have that trigger their anxiety. This then leads to the homeopathic remedy that can resolve things.

For example, if your child’s anxiety started or increased after the passing of a relative or pet, it may be that while the grief has faded, things are unresolved because s/he has an underlying fear that this could happen to them or another loved one at any moment.

Another common set of fears or beliefs is thinking that people despise them, that s/he is isolated and that everything s/he tries is a failure. This anxiety and lack of self-confidence can be caused by bullying, being excluded from friendships, other people’s or their own expectations of themselves etc. Whatever the cause, the impact can feel quite devastating.

The good news is there are remedies for both those examples and many other underlying worries. Homeopathy prompts the body to get back into balance so that both mind and body start to assimilate recent experiences, stressors and anxiety, bringing things into perspective.

Having helped children who struggled with anxiety, it really is a pleasure to see someone who had the weight of the world on their shoulders, start to lighten and smile.