8 phrases kids say that are code for "I'm anxious"

Azine Graff, PsyD

Anxiety is not always easy to spot in children, and since children are often still learning how to identify their emotions, they are not always able to verbalize what they are experiencing. What can make it even more challenging is that a child’s anxiety can overlap with symptoms of ADD/ADHD, as children with anxiety may also fidget, be forgetful or have difficulty concentrating. It is not uncommon for children with some form of anxiety to be misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD.

Anxiety can also be disguised as irritability or defiance, which makes it all the more confusing for adults to spot.
Most of us have long forgotten the pressures that children face and the various scenarios that can spark worries—starting a new sport, taking a test, making a new friend, and answering the teacher’s question when called upon, to name a few. With a variety of factors coming into play, when a child does not know how to manage their emotions, they will likely exhibit their feeling through a behavior. They may act out and they may withdraw. They may look like they are angry, and even make harsh statements.
Children with anxiety may make statements that are code for something else. Here are eight common examples:
1. “I don’t want to go to bed” may mean “I am afraid of being alone in my bed.”

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