Commonly Missed Childhood Anxiety Symptom 1: Anger

One of the most often mislabeled signs of anxiety in children is ANGER.

If you read my blog introducing how children experience anxiety, you’ll remember that our amygdala is a small structure in our brains that scans the environment for danger and threats. The amygdala forwards the information it receives to the other structures in our limbic system to create a physiological response in our bodies to respond to what is happening around us. So, even if the amygdala is sending FALSE alarms, the rest of the brain and body still react as if the individual is in actual danger. In response to the false alarm the child’s heart may start racing, their stomach may knot up, their face may get hot, they may cry, they may scream, and they may not be able to think straight. On the surface these physical feelings inside the child’s body FEELS like anger but in actuality it is anxiety.

A common example I use for adults is if a car pulls out in front of you and you quickly have to slam on breaks. You have children in the car and the inconsiderate driver just put you and your loved ones at risk. So, you start yelling at the other driver and questioning why they are allowed to drive at all. On the surface you look to be ANGRY, but given the precious cargo in your back seat you were actually SCARED and ANXIOUS. Children can confuse their anxiety with anger in a similar manner. A child’s behavior on the outside may look like they are just a naturally agitated and angry kiddo, but the source is anxiety.